


Definitely Don't Need It

by artichokefuccboi



Category: Borderlands, Tales of the Borderlands
Genre: Character Revival, Jack begins to feel feelings, M/M, Rated E for sex, Rhys as Jack's PA, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-16 02:44:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 24,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5810539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artichokefuccboi/pseuds/artichokefuccboi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhys is a delight to have around. He's a hard worker, he does his job the right way the first time, and he listens to all of Jack's outrageous demands with little to no complaints. When a project proves to be difficult, Jack can always turn to Rhys. He's just... bad at feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Such a Delight

Jack just couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Handsome  _ goddamn _ Jack does  _ not _ need love. His past had more than proven that showing any sort of affection either resulted in someone’s death or their untimely betrayal… which ultimately led to their death. Really, anyone Jack that decided to give a shit about just ended up dead as a doornail. He deemed any form of love useless a long, long time ago.

Promoting the pretty boy in coding to his new PA? That was in no way love. It was a favor to the kid who managed to save Jack’s life not once but twice by providing him with any need-to-know information that passed through the lower levels of Helios. The kid deserved a pay raise. At least, that’s what Jack told himself to sleep better at night.

It wasn’t like the kid was bad at his job. Well, he was at first; so awestruck and nervous around the hero, but he grew out of that fanboy stage eventually. What made the kid good was that he basically did whatever Jack asked at the drop of a hat, no questions asked and apparently no explanation was required. Jack was pretty sure that he could ask Rhys to send a thousand cases of cash straight to a bonfire and Rhys would just nod his head and do it. Rhys was the filter to the top of the line; no one’s business with Jack reached his ears without Rhys’ approval as to whether or not it was worth the CEO’s time. With the way time was opening up, Jack had more freedom to just run down and screw around with his latest weapon models.

One big perk of having Rhys around was how he didn’t  _ complain _ . Jack could still feel “that voice” grating on his nerves that belonged to his last PA. Apparently he “never had time for his family” and Jack was “overworking” him. When Jack decided to leave his office at two in the morning, he would see Rhys, absorbedly tapping away at his keyboard with a small smile on his face. The kid loved his job, and he was damned good at it.

Rhys was always such a delight to have around. 

Jack shook his head when he heard the clicking of heels on his floor. He would recognize those boots anywhere. He didn’t even notice that he had been staring out his window, to the beautiful sight of Elpis. Rhys cleared his throat as Jack spun his chair around, using his foot to guide it back to the desk.

“Rhysie, baby!” Rhys blushed at the pet name, looking down at his laptop. Jack couldn’t help but smile as Rhys slid the device over for Jack to read.

“There is a...um... budget concern brought forward from the head of accounting.” Jack snorted. It was just like Rhys to act all professional. He was so cute sometimes. With Jack’s silence, Rhys continued, his voice now easy and steady.

“Vaughn thinks someone is taking money from Hyperion. It’s only a little at a time, but it’s gotten to the point where it’s noticeable now. He has a suspicion that someone is funding a little side project that they don’t want you to know about.” The very thought of some employee pissing his pants as he carried suitcases full of Hyperion’s money out made Jack laugh until tears were brought to his eyes.

“Aw, dumbass probably thought we wouldn’t see it.” Jack slid the computer back to Rhys, who picked it up and readied himself to take Jack’s message. “Tell your nerdy little buff friend to not get his panties in a twist, daddy Jack is on the case.” 

“Yes sir.” Rhys typed his response, obviously more appropriately phrased than Jack had put it, and sent it back to Vaughn. Almost immediately, he got a smiley face back. With Rhys already in the office, Jack chewed on his bottom lip.

“So… any progress on my Angel?” Rhys switched tabs immediately, pulling up a live feed into one of Hyperion’s most secured lab rooms. He could see a bunch of people in lab coats shuffling around, surrounded by computers. There was a large machine that had a hard drive pressed inside. He could see the constantly updated report on the side of the video. 

“They are currently decoding her data to make sure that nothing can damage her permanently. Whoever tried to erase her obviously failed, but they made it harder to find pieces of her in the corrupted data-”

Anger swelled in Jack’s chest as he slammed his fist on the desk, sending pens and other such things scattering off of the edge. Rhys, that sweet boy, didn’t even flinch at Jack’s outburst. Instead, he stood there and waited until the unease set aside. Taking a deep breath, Jack finally settled himself to speak again.

“Will she remember… anything at all?” Jack locked eyes with Rhys. Rhys tensed, his brows drawing together. Rhys broke the contact, dropping his gaze to the report. The ECHOeye responded, scanning the screen.

“Only if you want her to, sir… If you don’t, then they could erase that from her-” A growl escaped Jack’s lips before he could catch it. Rhys’ head snapped up, barely making eye contact with his boss. In his mind, Jack was just screaming for Rhys to even think about finishing his sentence.

Rhys, ever the mind-reader, remained silent.

Jack swung his chair back around after he kicked away from his desk. He couldn’t face the truth, about how his daughter, his baby girl, was only strings of data. Elpis was always a calming sight. He could deal with that. “Keep me updated, won’t you baby?”

“Yes sir.” Rhys shut his laptop. Jack didn’t need eyes in the back of his head to know that Rhys was still watching him. The kid was loyal like that; and that made things so much more difficult. Rhys let out a tiny sigh, then turned on his heel and left. Once he was sure Rhys was gone, Jack huffed and slouched in the soft leather of his seat.

Those damned vault hunters were to blame. They tried to take his company, his life- and they took his daughter. His sweet, precious Angel. They were the monsters, not him. Yet the scariest thought of all was the thought of them coming back- not for him, not for the company, but for something precious to Jack. He was scared of them coming after Rhys.

Handsome Jack doesn’t need love to live, but he does need Rhys.


	2. Trained so Well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to loki-dokey, who reviewed this chapter for me!

“And what do you think Jack means when he says he’ll take care of it?” Vaughn pushed the melted butter around the pan, watching as flecks of egg white popped and browned from the heat. “He’s not going to kill anyone, is he?”

Rhys shrugged, watching as the coffee machine dripped out the last dregs of his caffeine fix for the morning. He reached across the counter, grabbing the large sugar container. “If he does, the guy kinda deserves it.” The stream of sugar began to mix into his cup, filling Rhys’ chest with warm happiness.

God, if only more things were like coffee.

The silence jolted Rhys from his sugary downpour. He turned to see Vaughn, egged up spatula in hand, staring at Rhys with a slack jaw. It almost made him uncomfortable.

“What? Something on my face?” Rhys placed the container down, grabbing a long spoon to stir his coffee with. The sweet scent made his knees weak and his day a little brighter. If only Rhys could make love to coffee- Vaughn pulled the pan from the hot stove and left them to cool as he turned to be face to face with Rhys.

“You’re beginning to sound more and more like him each day.” Rhys took a long sip of coffee, leaving Vaughn to finish his thought. “You know… plan B is still an option… if you are up for it?” Rhys nearly choked, coughing harshly to remove the liquid from his lungs. 

“No way, bro!” Rhys placed his mug very firmly on the counter, causing Vaughn to flinch. Whoa. “We finally reached the top- we overrank all of those douchebags who gave us a hard time! You are the head of accounting! I’m  _ Handsome Jack _ ’s personal assistant! Nothing could be better for us than the situation we got going now.” Vaughn backed away, turning back to the pan to dish out breakfast accordingly.

“I’m just worried for you, bro. Jack seems… slightly, no, slightly is the wrong word...more like  _ incredibly _ unstable. What if the next person who gets thrown out of an airlock ends up being someone we know… or worse?” Vaughn left the rest for Rhys’ imagination. Just the thought of Jack forcing him into the cold empty void of space made his stomach churn. He grabbed his coffee out of desperation

“Y… you just don’t know him like I do.” Rhys murmured into his coffee, closing his eyes to will away the image planted in his head. “Is Jack a little… fiery? Yeah, sure. But would he hurt me, or you?” When he opened them again, Vaughn was in front of him with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

“Fine.” Rhys rolled his eyes as he settled back onto the counter, staring at anything but Vaughn. “You win. I see your point. But we have to trust him Vaughn.” The money man scoffed as he walked away. Rhys felt his face flush in anger. “He’s just doing what’s best for us- and what’s best for Hyperion!”

“Rhys…” Vaughn nudged Rhys’ breakfast towards him, giving him a look of pity. “Who are you trying to convince here… me…

“or you?”

With the question left hanging in the air, Vaughn grabbed his plate and his glass of orange juice and left for the living room. Rhys stared daggers at the plate of (super delicious) food.

Vaughn was wrong. Rhys believed in Jack. He believed in everything Jack was trying to do. To everyone else on Helios, Jack was this untouchable god. He was cold and intimidating. No one dared cross the hero that was going to save Pandora, and every planet he graced.

But Rhys… Rhys saw another side to Jack’s face. He saw him in the early mornings, when there was no bravado and it was just the two of them. 

While his thoughts wandered, he recalled the day before. He remembered Jack’s fist slamming into the desk, the way his eyes were watering with threatening tears. It took all it had in the hero to keep himself from crying, and Rhys could see all of that pain in his face at that moment.

That man wasn’t a monster. That man cared for his daughter so much that he was fighting to get as much of her back as possible. He let his guard down into the pure worry that he felt towards his daughter.

Rhys wanted nothing more than to offer Jack some form of comfort. The hero was shouldering so much on his own, Rhys just wanted to take some of that pain off of him. 

Walking away when Jack shut him out was beginning to grow harder and harder each time he did it.

Rhys grabbed his cold breakfast and stormed into the living room. Vaughn was on the couch, pushing his eggs around his plate with his fork. The conversation obviously still plagued him. Rhys placed his plate and his coffee onto the table and flopped onto the cushions. There was a noticeable gap between him and Vaughn.

“Rhys.” Vaughn sighed, pushing his plate back onto the table. Rhys ignored him and scowled into his coffee. The coffee maker in Jack’s office was so much better, and the good expensive brew he bought never clumped up in his mouth like the stuff at home did when it got cold. Vaughn nudged Rhys’ thigh with his foot, only to have Rhys turn away.

“Rhys, come on, dude. I’m trying to apologize here.” Rhys spun around, ready to give a what for, when he saw Vaughn pouting. He looked so much like a kicked puppy that it hurt Rhys’ heart to look at.

“Dammit!” Rhys’ swearing made Vaughn jump a little. “I can’t stay mad at you bro.” Vaughn lit up. Rhys couldn’t hold a chuckle back.

“Best bros?” Vaughn held his fist up. Rhys bumped his flesh hand against Vaughn’s, nodding.

“Best bros.” The tension in the apartment seemed to ease as Rhys and Vaughn sat back to enjoy their cold (but still good) breakfast. They managed to move on from the subject of work and began catching up. Just before Rhys could share his week, his comm went off. 

Vaughn watched with horror in his eyes as Rhys flew from the couch like it was on fire, running to catch his comm before it disconnected. He jammed the answer button and pressed the device to his ear.

“Hello, this is… hello, Jack.” Rhys turned back to look at Vaughn, who crossed his arms. Rhys gave a half-apologetic shrug and a smile. 

Then his face twisted into shock as he faced away from his roommate.

“R-right now, sir? Jack, you know it’s- yes, I know… yes sir.... I understand… yes sir…. I’ll see you soon.” Rhys felt his heart thump wildly in his chest at the demand he just received. He tore off into his room, not slowing down for his best friend following him.

“Rhys? What did Jack want?” Vaughn barely dodged Rhys’ clothes as he threw them around the room, finding something clean to get into. All Rhys had was one of Jack’s white button ups and a pair of skinny jeans. Those would have to work for now.

“I’m so sorry, Vaughn. Jack needs me in the office. Like, right now.” Rhys’ hands flew to button up his shirt, tugging the jeans over his hips and buttoning them. He grabbed the closest tie to him and rushed to tie it on.

“But Rhys- Sunday breakfast is sacred! Jack knows he’s not supposed to call you in when we set this time aside for us!” Vaughn’s pout made Rhys feel ever worse than he already did.

“Im sorry bro… maybe next week?” Rhys grabbed his laptop bag and rushed out the door. Vaughn watched from the living room, crossing his arms. The door clicked shut, and Vaughn let out a sigh.

“Yeah… go running to him, like you always do.” Vaughn left to clean up their breakfast mess. “He’s trained you so well.”


	3. Need You Right Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day earlier because I was so excited to get this part out.

Jack could not stop shaking. The clean-up crew had left hours ago, leaving the floor and window spotless of any blood. The only thing left covered in gore was Jack.

Murdering someone didn’t bother him. Disgusting Pandoran spies like the asshole trying to sneak in and erase Angel’s data (or what was left of it) deserved what they got. Jack had blood on his hands before breakfast.

No, killing the bastard wasn’t the reason he was shaking so bad. It was what he said.

“Coming for Rhys.” Jack snorted as he spoke to no one but himself. “What a joke. They touch a single strand of hair on that pretty boy’s head…” Jack stood up, kicking the chair back. It skidded away, falling over and landing with a crash. He began to pace, running his hands through his hair. Panic set in, clutching his chest until it was hard to breathe. Where the hell was  _ Rhys _ ?

Jack growled as he checked the date. Rhys always took Sunday’s off. Before he could think too far into what he was doing, Jack grabbed his comm and called Rhys.

“Come on, cupcake. Answer your goddamn-” The dial tone cut off, and Rhys huffed into his ear.

“Hello, this is-” Rhys went quiet. Jack didn’t even notice that he was growling like some wild animal.

“Hey, buttercup.” Rhys made a noise that sounded more shocked than pained. That settled his nerves just a bit. 

“Hello Jack.” Rhys hummed. Jack could hear rustling on the other end, and he almost forgot why he was freaking out.

Well, almost.

“Hey, Rhysie. I’d love to chat, but I need you at the office. Right now.” Rhys sucked in a breath, making Jack flinch.  _ Why the hell was he flinching? _

“R-right now, sir?”

“Did I freakin’ stutter, Rhys?” Jack was gripping the edge of his desk. Good thing it was nailed to the floor.

“Jack, you know it’s-” Jack tutted gently, and Rhys, the good kid, fell silent.

“I know it’s Sunday, sweetcheeks, but didn’t you say that you would be there if I ever needed help?”

“Yes, I know…” Rhys sighed into the receiver. Jack was only doing this for Rhys’ own good. If he told him about the threat, no doubt Rhys would lose his mind.

“And I need you. Right now. For help, I mean.”

“Yes sir. I understand.”

Jack grabbed his chair and picked it up, bringing it back to his desk. “Great, that’s my boy. See you when you get here, baby.”

“Yes sir.” Rhys ended the call, forcing Jack back into the worrying silence to reflect on how he treated his PA. Jack’s comm went flying, hitting the wall and shattering into pieces.

Having Rhys walk to the office was a terrible idea- it made him an open target. At least in his apartment, he had some form of cover if someone shot at him. Anyone with some semblance of a brain in their heads would see Rhys’ cybernetic arm and recognize him as Jack’s. Jack had already failed Angel. He refused to fail Rhys too.

Jack’s office doors opened, and those familiar boots sent a wave of relief over Jack’s mind. Rhys made it, and entirely in one piece.

“Oh thank god- Rhys, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Rhys frowned, glaring at Jack. “Well don’t just stand there, babe, get comfy. Make yourself at home.” Jack waved his hand towards the couch. Rhys gave it one annoyed glance before turning back to Jack. He approached Jack’s desk with his arms crossed.

“Why am I here, Jack?” Only Rhys would have the balls to confront Jack the way he is. 

Jack had to turn away. Rhys was in his shirt, which hung off of his scrawny shoulders and barely fit right. His face was red with exhaustion from, most likely, running straight for the office. He was an absolute mess, and he was really distracting. 

“Sit down, Rhys. It’s best if you stay here.” Jack didn’t need to look to see Rhys not moving.

“That’s real cute, kitten, but I wasn’t asking. Sit.” The firm command made Rhys move. He turned, with his head held high, and moved to sit on the couch. When Jack didn’t speak again, Rhys reached for his laptop. Jack barely caught the motion out of the corner of his eye.

“Nuh-uh.” Rhys jumping made Jack smile. “No work for you today, pumpkin. Just take a load off.” Rhys raised an eyebrow. “Just need you here, Rhys…Need you  _ right _ where I can see you.”


	4. A.N.G.E.L

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry that I am late with this. I did not expect to be building a wall yesterday. So, not only are you getting chapter 4, I'm posting 5 right after. I hope to stay on schedule from here on out.

Handsome Jack was nothing short of irritating.

All afternoon, Rhys was attached to the couch. Whenever he was going to get up for anything, especially if it revolved around leaving the office even for a second, Jack told him to sit back down. So, Rhys was stuck watching the live video feed of the lab out of sheer boredom. On the other side of the room, Jack was screaming at someone over a borrowed comm. Both had managed to not say a word to each other, Jack because he was busy, and Rhys because he was still grouchy.

Jack ended his call, tossing Rhys’ comm back onto his desk. He ran his hands through his hair and let out a deep sigh. It took all self control and the remaining pits of anger in his stomach to turn back to his laptop screen.

“Rhys…” Jack was whining. Rhys could not believe his ears. Handsome Jack, the terror of Hyperion, was  _ whining _ for him. If he wasn’t so angry, he’d actually be flattered. “Baby… I see you’re still mad, which sucks, but I did this for you.” Rhys glared at Jack out of the corner of his eyes. 

“Did what for me? Lock me in your office? You know my friend probably hates me right now.” Rhys sat up when Jack sat beside him on the couch.  Jack attempted to put his arm around Rhys, but Rhys scooted away from him.

“I called you in because your life was in danger Rhys. Being here is much safer than being with your nerdy friend. Especially since you refuse to learn how to shoot a gun.” Rhys huffed.

“I just don’t feel comfortable shooting one, is that a crime?” Rhys felt Jack lean over, and he didn’t bother to move away. Gently, Jack’s fingers brushed over Rhys’ neural port. The contact sent a shiver down his spine.

“Not at all cupcake, you don’t have to shoot if you don’t want to. But I gotta have you protected if you don't.” The thought of Jack protecting him like some damsel relit the fire in him. Rhys leapt off the couch, crossing his arms. Jack shook his head, relaxing into the cushions.

“I am NOT a delicate doll, Jack. You don’t need to protect me.” Rhys wanted to say so much more, but Jack’s eyes began to wander, showing that he wasn’t listening to what he was saying. “And now you're ignoring me. This is exactly my problem. What are you even protecting me from?!” Jack’s eyes landed on Rhys’ laptop, then went wide. With a muttered curse, Jack jumped up and rushed to his desk, leaving a fuming Rhys behind. 

“Oh no, we are not done here,  _ handsome _ ! You got a lot to explain-” Jack holstered a pistol from his desk, making Rhys’ heart stop. 

“Relax kitten, it’s not for you. Stay here until I tell you to come out, and don’t let ANYONE in unless it’s me.” Jack didn’t wait for Rhys to comply, he only ran out of the office. Rhys growled, feeling his hands twitch. 

He wanted to just pack up and go. Plan B was beginning to sound so sweet to him at the moment. With a huff, Rhys threw himself onto the couch and looked at his laptop. His breath hitched.

The lab was being attacked.

“Jack!” Rhys got up, just barely maneuvering around the guards posted to rush towards the elevators. They yelled after him, and one gave chase. Their heavy armor and Rhys’ long legs ensured that they wouldn’t catch him

Rhys managed to get to Jack, keeping in step with his running.

“I told you stay in the office!”

“You won’t be able to protect Angel and get rid of those attackers at the same time!” Jack snorted. 

“And you’re going to protect Angel? You? You can’t even shoot a damn gun!” He disregarded the elevator. Employees were running around in chaos.

“I can get Angel and get out! You have to trust me Jack!” Jack froze for a second on the stairs, sucked in a breath, then continued racing to the lab.

“Just stay behind me, kitten.”

***

The lab was trashed.

Scientists were cowering in the corner by the time Jack and Rhys arrived. The place was crawling with bandits searching.

Rhys, with a sigh of relief, saw Angel’s hard-drive still stuck into the computer. They didn’t seem to regard it as important.

Jack began firing as soon as the door opened, and bandits fell to the floor in useless heaps. Rhys slipped into the room, crouching below any cover he can find. Angel was so close, but so far into the room. On his hands and knees, Rhys began to crawl through the gory mess on the floor. If he wasn’t so determined to bring Angel to safety, he would have noticed his stomach churning unpleasantly. 

Living up to their nature, the bandits all went straight for Jack instead of paying attention to Rhys. Jack disposed of them, one by one, his attention breaking off every once in awhile to see where Rhys was.

With his heart pounding, Rhys made it to the hard-drive. He wiggled it free, watching as the probe receded into the casing. Rhys dove for cover as soon as he had it in his hands.

“I got you, Angel. Don’t worry.” Rhys felt stupid, speaking to a hard-drive. It’s not like Angel would know this happened. Still, it gave him some relief. Rhys stuffed the hard-drive into his pocket and returned to Jack, who grabbed his wrist and pulled him so that Jack’s body acted as a shield.

“Stay low, cupcake.” Rhys did as he was told, his head pounding. 

How did he get caught up in this?

A bandit managed to catch Jack off guard, pushing him aside and grabbing Rhys harshly on his flesh arm. With a yelp, Rhys stumbled to his feet and felt the barrel of a gun pressed to his jaw. 

“Got him! Lilith will be so glad to see you.” The bandit tried to pull Rhys along, but Rhys threw all the resistance he had. He wiggled in the bandit’s grasp. “I’d hate to kill you- she’d be so upset to lose the leverage on Jack.”

The gun flipped around and smacked into his temple. Rhys was out before he hit the ground.


	5. Assassin

“How long is he going to be out?” Jack glared at the doctor, who squirmed under his gaze. The doctor looked through Rhys’ medical record briefly.

“He should be awake any time now.” The sight of Rhys made Jack’s blood boil. Across the right side of his face was a giant, nasty bruise from being pistolwhipped. The hospital gown also showed his flesh arm, which had a ring of finger-sized bruises. The kid had such delicate skin, like a peach.

Jack wished he could have choked the bastard who hurt Rhys out.

“Does he have to be here?” The doctor jumped. Jack turned his attention back, his eyes narrowing. “Did I stutter? I asked if he has to be here.”

The doctor gulped. “Y-yes sir. We need to check on him as soon as he wakes so that we can see if the force of the pistol caused any head trauma.” Jack hummed.

“Well doc, I’d like a second alone with him, if you don’t mind.” Jack waved the doctor out of the room. He pulled a chair up and sat by Rhys’ bedside. It was a sin, how peaceful Rhys looked despite the large welt across his face. 

His lips were parted slightly, and his eyelashes fluttered in his sleep. Jack felt a smile tug at his lips while Rhys hummed. 

“Sweet dreams there, kiddo?” Jack ran his fingers through Rhys’ hair, Rhys didn’t move with the contact. 

The door to the hospital room opened, and Jack felt the smile drop. He looked to see Rhys’ roommate, wide-eyed and panting.

“Is he okay? What happened?” The nerd pushed his way into the room, joining Jack by his bedside. The concern for Rhys must have clouded his judgement.

“He’s going to be fine.” Jack’s voice startled the accountant. Big green eyes turned to him in fear. “And before you think anything, no, I didn’t do this. I don’t know if you heard, but bandits tried to raid one of our labs.” 

The accountant sighed. “Everyone’s been talking about it, but I didn’t think Rhys was involved…” Jack stared at Rhys’ sleeping face.

“What’s your name kid?” Jack could feel the weight of Angel’s drive in his pocket. He managed to snatch it from Rhys’ pocket when the nurses changed him into the gown.

“U-uh… It’s Vaughn, sir.” Vaughn shuffled on his feet.

“Rhys trusts you, right? … so I’m going to give you something very important.” Vaughn looked at Jack while he grabbed Angel’s drive and presented it. “I find out you did something to her, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Vaughn gently took the drive in his hands, marveling it. He turned it around in his hands. “W-why trust me with this, sir?”Jack shrugged.

“I need her in a place they won’t expect her. They’ll think I’m too paranoid and keep her close to me.” Vaughn seemed shocked. Jack snorted. “I know when to pick my battles, kid. This is not something I can win by being stubborn.”

Vaughn placed the drive in his pocket. “She’s safe with me, sir. I’ll make sure she isn’t hurt.”

“Good….” Jack focused on Rhys, all conversation dropped. The room was silent as Jack and Vaughn both watched over Rhys.

 

***

“What do you mean you don’t have her!?” Lilith’s tattooes glowed in her anger. The bandit shook as he raised his hands to cover himself.

“Jack took the boy and the drive back. We couldn’t continue without dying.” The bandit felt relief wash over him as Lilith turned around. As long as she wasn’t facing him, he was okay.

“You are all morons.” Lilith growled. She turned to her second option, a more extravagant approach. Fiona and Sasha looked at Lilith with raised eyebrows. “Looks like this is a mission that requires a woman’s touch.” 

Sasha turned to Fiona, who gave her sister a small smile. “I can handle this. Just tell me what needs to be done.”

Lilith thought for a second, then smiled. “Get that drive, I don’t care what you have to do.” Fiona nodded and was about to leave when Lilith stopped her with a hum.

“And… kill his boytoy. Make him lose  _ everything. _ ” With a nod, Fiona and Sasha went to prepare. Lilith turned to the bandit, who looked at her with fear.

“Now… on to you.”


	6. Back to Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day, you filthy Rhack sinners! I'm actually somewhat on time today! Hooray for me!

Rhys slowly cracked his eyes open. The entire right side of his face felt sore, and his head wouldn’t stop throbbing. He let out a soft groan; the bright lights of the room weren’t helping. 

All of a sudden, two shadows were blocking the light. 

“Hey, he’s waking up!” The voice was familiar, but Rhys couldn’t register it. God  _ where _ has he heard that voice before?

“That’s my boy, toughing it out like a champ.” That was definitely Jack. That voice graced his dreams and haunted his nightmares. There’s no way he could forget it.

“Rhys, you okay buddy?” That familiar voice again. It finally clicked that it was Vaughn who was speaking to him.

“I feel like complete skag shit.” Rhys tried to sit up, but the movement made his head spin and his stomach flip. Jack’s hand pushed him back down onto the hospital bed.

“Eloquently put, my friend.” Vaughn had a stressed out smile on his face. Jack crossed his arms. Rhys felt his face heat up in shame.

“I’m sorry, Jack-” Rhys began, but Jack tsked, visibly shocked by Rhys’ attempt at an apology. 

“Don’t be, kitten,” Jack purred. “You did what you said you would.” Before Rhys could protest, a doctor walked into the room. Jack span on his heel and placed his hands on his hips, glaring at the intruder. Vaughn slowly edged away from the hospital bed.

“Um… do you mind if I check on the patient?” Jack grumbled as he stepped aside. The doctor approached, probing fingers pressed against Rhys’ temple. The cybernetic man hissed and pulled away. After checking his head for signs of concussion, the doctor nodded silently to himself and began to write down notes.

“Despite the trauma, you seem to be fine. We’ll keep you overnight just to be sure, then you can go home.” The doctor turned to Vaughn, obviously ready to give him instructions, when Jack cleared his throat.

“Hate to break it to you, but Rhys is staying with me.” Three heads snapped to look at Jack. Vaughn didn’t seem that surprised, however. He just crossed his arms and shrugged.

“O-Oh…. Well… When he is discharged, we’ll have you notified.” The doctor shook as Jack glared.

“Damn straight you will.”

***

It had been a week since Rhys’ hospital visit. Staying with Jack was weird, especially when he woke up in the large space of the penthouse. Vaughn was invited to stay, but he politely denied Jack. They both gave each other a look before Jack guided Rhys to the elevator by a hand on his back. There was something going on between Vaughn and Jack that Rhys couldn’t put his finger on.

When Rhys was finally back to work, he’d never felt more at home. As he stretched out in his desk chair, he pondered how the craziness of the entire place seemed to set him at ease. The only thing that was different from before was the ever-present guard. 

From the corner of his eye, Rhys noticed someone walking to his desk with a stack of papers in their arms. With a sigh, Rhys righted himself into his seat.

“Good morning, sir.” 

Rhys raised an eyebrow. She was obviously new; he’d never seen her around before. Also, the politeness was not something seen at Hyperion often.

When Rhys didn’t respond, she cleared her throat and placed the papers on the desk. “Do you happen to know where I can find a man named Rhys?” With one fluid motion, without breaking eye contact, Rhys picked up his name plate, that had somehow made it to the side of his desk, and slammed it right before her. The girl read it, then flushed a deep red. Rhys never felt more proud.

“I was told to uh… give these reports to you.” Rhys grabbed the stack of papers and began to go over them. The entire page was riddled with nonsense. Even with his ECHOeye, nothing useful could be found. Never has Rhys wanted to throw someone at Jack more.

“Who sent these?” Rhys glared over the edge of the papers. The girl squirmed when he asked.

“P-Pardon?” Rhys tossed the reports back to the girl, leaning in his chair.

“Who sent these reports? And answer quickly, I don’t have all day.” The girl became nervous, looking around the office. Rhys was about tell his guard to throw the girl away when she stuttered her answer.

“The uh… the company head of the… coding… department told me to bring them to you.” Rhys sighed, rubbing his temples.  _ Vasquez. _

Rhys pressed the intercom button on his desk. “Jack, Vasquez did it again.” Rhys didn’t receive a reply, but he wasn’t expecting one. Instead, he sat back and watched the girl at his desk with a steady gaze. The Hyperion announcement system let out a long beep, signaling for the attention of everyone on Helios.

_ “Good morning you lousy douchebags, Handsome Jack here. I got a very special announcement for a special Wallethead. Hugo Vasquez, you send one more, and I repeat,  _ **_ONE MORE_ ** _ squirrely intern to Rhys to try and distract him from his job, you know, the thing you should be doing instead of terrorizing my PA, I will make sure you intimately know the business end of my pistol. I am not in the mood to deal with your childish, asskissing ways. Glad we had this chat.”  _

The entire station was quiet for a moment before resuming their days. Rhys would never get tired of hearing just how silent everything was when Jack made an announcement when he was pissed. He waved the girl away, and watched as she turned and walked. Rhys let out a sigh of exhaustion as he sunk into his seat. That’s when his personal intercom beeped.

“Hey sweetheart, send for a clean-up. Daddy had to put some dumbass in his place.” Rhys chuckled, shaking his head. 

“Right away, sir.” There was no place Rhys would rather be than at this desk.


	7. Don't Call Me Kiddo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I'm terrible at keeping a schedule. Well, here's the next chapter a little early. :)

Between the guard, the fact that he never leaves his desk without protection, and that she was sure Jack would race out of his office at the slightest sound of a gunshot, Fiona knew this mission wasn’t going to be as easy as she had hoped. The whole point was to get the drive, and she couldn’t do that if the CEO of Hyperion killed her.

Fiona saw Rhys everywhere, too. It was frustrating, like he was a piece of meat being dangled in front of her, and she was a starving dog on a leash. He would be at the cafe, but his guard was not too far behind, scanning the area like some security camera.

To be honest, Fiona wouldn’t be surprised if Jack built a robot specifically to protect Rhys.

The only one that seemed to get close was this gangly nerd in a nice suit, who fistbumped Rhys and talked between themselves quietly. Fiona pushed the food around her tray, to distracted by trying to locate the obnoxiously bright yellow arm.

She couldn’t be here for that long. No doubt, the missing employee was beginning to be noticed. Fiona had to get Rhys, the drive, and make it back to Lilith without delay.

She dropped her fork when she saw him. His head was down, scanning reports in his hand. To her relief, there seemed to be no guard. She pushed out of her chair, her heart thumping wildly in her chest-

When Jack entered, wrapping his arm around Rhys’ shoulders. Rhys didn’t jump, he just looked up and smiled before turning his attention back to the document in his hands.

The opportunity slipped from her fingers like sand. Fiona groaned, sinking back into her seat. Nothing looked more appealing than banging her head into the table as hard as she could.

“It gets better the more you eat it.” Fiona jumped, gasping loud as she fell backwards. With a groan, she sat up. In front of her was the suit that she saw Rhys with.

“O-oh jeez, are you okay?” Fiona was about to speak when she felt someone lift her up under her arms. She turned around, about ready to rant, when Rhys gave her a small smile.

“You took quite a tumble there. You okay?” Jack loomed over Rhys’ shoulder, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, thank you.” Rhys back away, and Jack righted the chair with a grumble. The man in the suit extended his hand.

“My name is Vaughn. Sorry I scared you.” Fiona hesitantly offered her hand. They shook briefly before Vaughn let his hand fall to his side. “You just looked new around here, so I figured I’d try to be nice to you.”

“Thanks. I’m-” Fiona bit her lip. Should she use her real name, or the name of the employee that she ‘replaced’? Her best shot seemed to be getting close to Rhys as a friend, and a lie would be discovered easily with his ECHOeye. “Fiona.”

“Fiona. That’s a lovely name.” Rhys scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry that I was so rude the other day. As you saw, Vasquez has been bothering me for a while. You don’t deserve to be treated like crap because he’s a dick.”

Jack cleared his throat. “As much as we’d love to stay and chat, Rhysie and I have a meeting in fifteen minutes and we need to get going.” Rhys waved as he and Jack left the cafeteria. Employee’s jumped out of the way at the sight of their boss.

Vaughn crossed his arms. “Well, do you mind if I sit with you, Fiona? My lunch buddy is absent.” Fiona nodded and sat back down.

She had her plan. She just needed to follow it.

 

***

 

Something about the new girl made Jack itch. Maybe it was the way she so not obviously lit up when she saw Rhys enter the cafeteria seemingly alone, or it was even earlier when Rhys described her after his outburst. For the entire meeting, Jack couldn’t put his finger on how she seemed so weird.

“I feel bad.” Rhys sighed, crossing his arms. Jack hated seeing Rhys kick himself down. “It wasn’t her fault that Vasquez is being a dick as usual. Yeah, she did disturb me while I was working, but she was doing what she was told to do.”

“Doesn’t something seem off about her to you, Rhys?” Rhys shrugged in response as the office doors opened. Jack wanted to scream, the kid was so oblivious.

“She looks new… Like she’s still not used to Hyperion yet… I remember that feeling.” Rhys dropped onto the couch, his eyebrows furrowed and his shoulders slumped forward.”I remember being the new guy… it’s very cutthroat around here.”

“That’s the charm of Hyperion, babe!” Rhys let out a tiny laugh. Jack sighed. “Kiddo, you know that this is how things run here.”

“Can you not call me kiddo right now?” Jack sighed. Rhys wasn’t even looking at him. He murmured a thank you before shutting himself off.

There were good times with Rhys. He was smart, very adept, and flexible. But damn if the kid wasn’t frustrating. Jack returned to his desk, trying to focus on work. Every so often, he found himself glancing up to see Rhys still on the couch, blinking tears away or tracing the vein lines in his real arm.

“Things were really difficult at the bottom of the line.” Rhys was quiet, and it seemed like he was speaking to himself. Jack continued working, not wanting to assume anything.

“I mean, we all know about your rise to power and all- you were once one of us.” Rhys got up and approached Jack’s desk. “But things are still terrible. The department heads treat us like crap and take our ideas and claim them as their own. They backstab their own workers so that they can get closer to you.” Rhys sat on the edge of Jack’s desk. 

“I just wish things were different.” Rhys sighed, staring at Elpis through the window. Jack could see the way the stars reflected in his eyes. He could stare at him forever.

“I know, Rhys.” Rhys dropped his gaze to the floor as Jack tapped his fingers on the desk. “Hey… wanna go home early? You look like you could use some time to yourself.” Rhys shook his head.

“We can bring Vaughn if you need him. Watch a movie- but I don’t think being here is good for you right now.” Rhys sighed, getting off of Jack’s desk. He gave him a small, sad smile. The kid’s eyes were tearing up.

God dammit, why was this long-legged nerd tugging heartstrings like this?

“Thank you, Jack… but I should get back to work… lot’s of things to schedule. You know, the usual.” Rhys wiped his face before leaving the office. Jack sighed, banging his head on the back of the chair.


	8. Friends?

“And he said that being at work isn’t good for you?” Vaughn sat on Rhys’ desk, watching him type away at emails from department heads. The guard was close by, head moving back and forth down the hallway. Rhys leaned back, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah...  He’s been acting all kinds of weird lately.” The guard seem interested in what he was saying. “I’m not allowed to leave this desk without him or my guard with me. He said my life was in danger, but I don’t know…” 

“What about that girl? Fiona? He doesn’t trust her?” Rhys shook his head. Vaughn snorted. “So he expects you to trust this random person he hires for you, but doesn't trust the girl who is obviously just trying to grab a paycheck and survive? That’s very hypocritical, isn’t it?”

The guard grunted, tossing his gun onto Rhys’ desk. Both Rhys and Vaughn jumped as they watched the guard reach towards the back of their head and unclip the helmet. With one solid twist, the helmet released, revealing spiky blonde hair and tanned skin.

“In case you didn’t trust me, my name is August. I’ve been hired for the protection of Rhys. I happen to be very loyal to my contracts. I got references if you wanna check”

Rhys hummed. “Nah, I’m good. You seem trustworthy.” That’s when he spotted Vaughn out of the corner of his eye, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. “Hey… you good bro?”

“You’re pretty.” The guard, August, raised an eyebrow while Rhys nearly choked on his spit. Vaughn seemed to catch himself, flushing a bright red. “-tall! Y-you’re pretty tall…. is what I meant.” Vaughn hopped off of Rhys’ desk, backing away. 

“I’m gonna go, Rhys. I gotta… lot of work to do… with numbers and stuff… Nice to meet you, August…” Vaughn bumped into a plant on his way out, making Rhys laugh that much harder.

“Later bro!” Rhys finally caught his breath, wiping away tears. August shrugged, putting helmet back on. 

“Oh man, that’s good. That’s the best part of my week.” Rhys sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“Considering the week started with you getting pistol whipped into unconsciousness, that’s not saying much..” The mask made August’s speech more muffled.

“Yeah, well, you’re not wrong there.” Just as Rhys was relaxing into the worn leather of his chair, someone knocked his feet off of the desk and sat on the newly cleared space

“Alright who do you think you a- Fiona?” Fiona waved, crossing her legs.

“Hiya. How’s your day?” She didn’t seem concerned that August had his gun raised.

“She’s fine, August.” Fiona glanced over to Rhys’ guard, who looked back and forth between the two before he lowered the muzzle to the floor.

“Sorry for intruding. I just felt bad about being such a disruption at lunch the other day.” Rhys shrugged, brushing his vest off.

“Oh please, don’t worry about it. Vaughn was right- being alone in Hyperion isn’t the best place to be.”

Fiona glanced off to the side, picking at her nail polish. “I just… don’t really know who to trust here.”

***

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Anyone could out her as a spy. Fiona came to Helios knowing that no one was to be trusted, especially not anyone who works so close to Handsome Jack.

But Vaughn and Rhys seemed genuine. The way they spoke to each other, and the concern that Rhys just showed for her warmed her heart. It was a dangerous game she was playing here; becoming Rhys’ friend might make her become attached, and when the time comes, she doesn’t want to be anywhere near to Rhys.

Oh no, when the time comes, she’s going to take Sasha and go as far away from this whole explosive situation as possible.

Rhys bit his bottom lip. “I know the feeling… If me and Vaughn didn’t come in together, I doubt I would even have had him all this time.”

It was foolish of Rhys to open up to her like this. She’s sent to kill him, to bring pain to Jack. Not that she understood how killing Jack’s PA would bring him more pain than a couple of pages of paperwork and possibly training a new one, but Fiona wasn’t in a position to ask questions. Especially not about Jack.

Rhys, on the other hand, she could ask plenty.

“Have you always been Jack’s PA?” Rhys gave her a small smile. 

“I actually began working not too long ago. I believe it’s almost three months now. This is possibly the best job I have ever had and ever can imagine having.” He sighed, staring at his name plate. “It took me a while to get used to it. Especially being so close to Jack. I see him every day now, and I have the ability to snoop around a lot more. No one comes after me without facing Jack’s wrath.” That made a lump form in Fiona’s throat.

“So Jack thinks you're special?” It was easy to press right into Rhys’ sweet spots. He practically glowed from pride.

“Jack has told me that I’m the best damn PA he’s had, ever.” Fiona still couldn’t understand. Just because the kid was good at getting his coffee order right and he knew how to manage Jack’s time suddenly made him important enough to pay a guard for around the clock protection? It wouldn’t stop bothering her. “I take a lot of pride in that, as you can imagine.”

“That definitely sounds like a thing to be happy about.” Something didn’t sit right in Fiona’s mind. The guard was a big tip that Rhys was important to Jack. Jack either wasn’t willing to lose Rhys, or protecting Rhys was a cover to keep him on Jack’s side. Either way, Fiona needed more information, and a closer look at Jack, before she could make her move.

***

The words still echoed in his head. While he did manage to control the fan stage around Jack, his praise was something to be remembered. He didn’t compliment Rhys often, but when he did, Rhys clung to it like glue and used it to keep himself motivated.

Fiona seemed to be spacing out, and Rhys recalled the incident. Sitting in Jack’s office, he felt like the smallest man on the planet for being unable to help Fiona’s situation. After all, being the new grunt was never easy. Not without friends.

“Hey, Fiona?” With her attention back to him, Rhys leaned back and crossed his arms. He gave what he assumed was a cool smile. “How about you, Vaughn and I get lunch tomorrow?” Rhys then glanced over to his guard. “And August, if he feels up to it.”

Fiona’s eyes lit up, and Rhys felt his chest warm up. It was great to help people.

***

While she wasn’t going to be completely alone with Rhys, it was a start. Being accepted into the friend group was going to be easy- killing Rhys while finding the drive all on her alone? That was going to be the hard part. However, Fiona was content with baby steps.

“Yeah, lunch sounds great- only if you're paying though.” That made Rhys chuckle.

“You know, you remind me of this one girl in college that me and Vaughn knew. She would always bum lunches off of us.” Fiona shrugged.

“Being a lackey doesn’t have good pay, Mr. Personal Assistant.” Rhys ran his hand through his hair, muttering ‘fair enough’, and Fiona felt giddy.

This mission became so much easier.


	9. What An Asshole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the taking so long getting this out. I actually have most of these pre-typed up and edited by my beta loki-dokey, so I wanna know if you guys think that because of the shortness of a lot of these chapters (being around 1000 words), if I should just post as I write them or continue posting them on fridays. Lemme know what you guys think either in the comments or you can message me on tumblr. My url is the same as my pseud name here.

“And don’t forget to grab Rhys something nice.” Jack waved his hand at Vasquez, who was crouched on the ground picking up his reports. “As an apology for being such a dick. You know, you’re lucky Rhys is such a good guy. He asked me all nicely to not throw you out of an airlock.”

“Yes, sir.” Vasquez was shaking in his shoes from being close to Jack. It honestly would have been funny if Jack wasn’t pissed off. 

“What are you still doing here, Wallethead?” With that, Vasquez had scrambled from the office, bumping into Rhys as he was walking in.

“Watch where you are going!” Jack glared at Vasquez while he dashed away. Rhys sighed, shrugging him off and approaching Jack.

“Hey pumpkin. Got daddy’s coffee?” Rhys placed Jack’s cup in front of him, along with a schedule. The bright beaming smile on Rhys’ face just made his day. “Oh, god, thank you princess. I’ve been needing this.”

“You’re schedule is mostly free today, sir.” Jack took one long sip of his coffee, staring at Rhys from the corner of his eyes. Rhys’ eye was glowing- he was scanning Jack.

“Seriously? You know just the news to bring me, Rhysie.” Rhys blinked, and the ECHOeye dimmed. Jack would have made a comment on the invasion, but he really didn’t have the heart to do so.

“Are you feeling well, Jack?” The smile turned into a frown, and Rhys’ eyebrows drew together. Jack shrugged as he placed the half empty cup on his desk.

“Feeling peachy, Rhysie.” Jack spun his chair around so that he was staring at Elpis. “Why?”

“Considering you won’t look at me and you just drank half a cup of steaming hot coffee... “ Rhys walked around the desk so that he was facing Jack. “Also, forgive me, but I scanned you. You looked tired, so I wanted to see if I could figure out when the last time you got sleep was.”

“What did you find, then?” Jack crossed his arms. Rhys stepped closer to Jack, his arms behind his back.

“Well… it’s been three days since you slept… you haven’t eaten in a couple of days and…” Rhys took another step until he was standing between the open space of Jack’s legs. “Your heart rate increases when you look at me.”

Jack hummed. There was something he had to admit, and Rhys being above him- it was a good look for the kid. Something about the way the power stormed behind those mismatched eyes just made him that much more desirable. It really wasn’t fair. The eye glowed again.

“It’s even faster now.” Rhys crouched so that they were eye level. “Something you wanna tell me, Jack?”

“Other than get me a sandwich because I’m starving? No.” Jack jumped when Rhys caged him in. “Watch it, kiddo.”

“Or what?” Rhys raised an eyebrow. “You’ll airlock me? I have a feeling that won’t ha-”

Their lips smashed together, and Jack was unsure if it was him that initiated the kiss or Rhys, but he really didn’t care. Rhys sighed and melted into their contact, gripping Jack’s shoulders for support. Jack pressed his tongue to Rhys’ lips, and Rhys opened up so easily. He was so ready and  willing.

Too soon, they pulled away. Rhys’ face was flushed, and no doubt Jack was beginning to look like a mess. Rhys smiled.

“Never thought you liked me, Jack.” Jack snorted and rolled the chair away. He crossed his arms. Rhys remained where he was, eyes wide in shock. The whiplash of emotion was just as surprising to Jack as it probably was to Rhys.

“Who said that? I didn’t.” Jack scoffed. Rhys sighed, shaking his head. “I got important business, Rhys.”

That was all he needed. Rhys left Jack’s office with one final glance back. Once the office doors closed, Jack sighed into his hands.

The kiss wasn’t bad. No, the kid knew what he was doing, no doubt. The fact that it had such an affect on him- that was the worrying part. Rhys’ lips were soft, and he was so willing to just give Jack the control of everything. 

This kid was going to be the death of Jack, he could feel it deep down. 

God dammit.

 

***

Rhys growled in frustration, throwing himself into his desk chair. He violently scrubbed his lips, trying to get rid of the feeling of Jack. Stupid, stubborn Jack.

The heart rate tipped him off- he was either very angry or very happy to see Rhys, and the ECHOeye let him know that Jack was more than eager to see Rhys. To think they had been playing this game, with Rhys unknowing to it all- god dammit, why didn’t he see the signs earlier?

August was looking at him, then back at Jack’s door. 

“Take a walk, August. I need a minute.” August hesitated before nodding, turning to scope down the hallway. Rhys was alone, but August wouldn’t be too far. He just needed to collect himself.

Taking a deep breath, Rhys banged his head onto the desk. Jack had just pushed him away, even after... Rhys wasn’t going to lie, he wasn’t expecting much out of him, but to command him out of the office like that-!

Rhys rubbed his eyes. He could feel his stomach churn. The slow burn of rejection slid down his throat and into his ribcage, making Rhys sick and dizzy.

He should call off for the rest of the day. He should go find Vaughn and rant. He should-

Rhys stood up. He should take care of Jack. He was stressed…

“August, you there?” The guard peeked around the corner. Rhys grabbed his wallet and stuffed it into his pocket.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria. Jack needs breakfast.” August nodded and followed Rhys to the elevators.


	10. Late Night Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so late for this one, but I wanted to actually get back into the writing groove before I posted the next chapter. Good news, I'm going to be updating this until the last chapter I edited it to, and also, I finally figured out I'm only going to need 2-3 more chapters of this story. I'm setting it at 20 for now, but if I need more I'll fix it.  
> Thank you all for being here for this.

“A-August! You’re very early today.”

The guard looked back at Vaughn with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah? What are you doin’ up here?” He placed his helmet down just as Vaughn shifted on his feet.

“O-oh you know… business things… I have a meeting with Jack.” August glanced back to the office doors.

“At two in the morning?” August crossed his arms. Vaughn’s heart beat a little faster. Suddenly, the drive felt like a ten pound weight in his pocket. “What can be so important that you have to see Jack now?”

Busted. Ohhhh Rhys was going to kill him. Either that or Vaughn was going to melt in a puddle from August’s gaze. “I-I uh…. well…”

“Step aside, August. Let him through.” August quickly jumped out of Vaughn’s way, staring back at Jack. Vaughn nervously scurried to the door and past Jack. August and Jack stared at each other for a moment before Jack walked inside. The doors slid shut behind him.

“So, how’s my girl?” Jack strolled to his desk. Vaughn stumbled after him, digging the drive from his pocket.

“The scientists said they can’t get as much information with the time constraints. They said they have a lab to keep her in, so that her data can be analyzed more closely and she can be complete faster-” Jack cut him off, inspecting the drive carefully.

“Tell them they do things my way, or they know where the door is.” Vaughn gulped, his eyes wandering to the giant window behind Jack’s desk. “I can’t have her stay in a lab that can be raided at any point. Especially if those bandits come back. With you, she’s much safer.”

Jack kissed the drive gently. Vaughn felt awkward watching, like he was intruding on a family moment. “Don’t worry, baby. Daddy’s not going to let anyone harm you. You’ll be all back together in no time.” With reluctance, Jack handed Vaughn the drive. 

“Thank you for checking in. It’s nice to know that she is safe in your hands.” Vaughn placed the drive in his pocket, shuffling on his feet. “Keep up the good work, and you’ll get a pay raise.”

“W-wait… Really?” Jack stared out at Elpis. Vaughn backed away from the desk, getting ready to leave, when Jack held his hand up.

“You still speakin’ with Rhys?” Vaughn stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide. He nodded, but Jack growled. “Can’t hear your head rattle, dumdum.”

“Yeah… yeah, Rhys and I spoke not too long ago. Why?” The question was stupid. Vaughn knew why Jack was asking- or at least, he had a vague idea why. 

“Is Rhys mad at me? I get it if he didn’t tell you specifics, but did he seem… upset?” Jack wouldn’t meet Vaughn in the eyes. The way he was staring out the window, Vaughn would almost say that he was hurt.

Handsome Jack, hurt, yeah right. 

“H-he mentioned being mad but... “ Jack sighed and shook his head. Vaughn could feel his throat get tight in fear.

“If you see him soon, tell him I’m sorry.” Jack turned his chair, cutting off any conversation between them. Vaughn stood there for a moment more, quietly wondering how Rhys could stand in this spot, in Jack’s office, every day.

His friend was so talented.

As soon as he deemed it safe, Vaughn ran out of Jack’s office and right into August. “O-oh god, I’m sorry. I’m so so so so sorry!” August grunted as Vaughn stepped around him, blushing and stuttering.

“Don’t worry about it. Meeting go well?” Vaughn stared at August, dumbfounded, before he continued to run back to his apartment. August sighed and entered the office when Vaughn turned the corner. 

Vaughn didn’t feel safe until he felt the apartment door click shut behind him. It was still only two in the morning, and no doubt Rhys was still asleep. Waking him up right now was not something Vaughn wanted to do.

He sighed and kicked his shoes off, tiptoeing to his room. He glanced at Rhys’ door and saw the light was out. A horde of skags could run through and Rhys would still sleep the day away.

Vaughn opened his door quietly, sneaking to his bedside table to place the drive away. The box that concealed it barely managed to close around the device before he softly laid in into the drawer and closed it.

He peeled the suit off and rushed to the shower. He would bother hanging it up later. Once he felt the soothing warm spray slide down his back, Vaughn let out a deep breath.

His shoulder still felt warm from when he bumped into August. His face flushed as he switched the water from hot to cold. He was going to need it.


	11. Never Wanted to be Closer

Fiona could tell from the second she saw Rhys that he was pissed. Vaughn shuffled nervously at the desk while Rhys shook his head and muttered.

“-thinks he can just say  _ sorry _ and everything will be okay. Who does he think he is?” Rhys crossed his arms, huffing. Vaughn stared down at his hands.

“Hi boys.” Fiona’s entrance shocked Vaughn into jumping. Rhys, however, was burning a hole into his desk with his glare. “Who’s up to get lunch?”

“Fiona, today might not be a good ti-” Vaughn got cut off as Rhys violently shoved his chair back. A storm brewed beneath those brown and blue eyes that would have shaken Fiona if she wasn’t a professional.

“Sure. Lunch sounds great.” Rhys stepped from behind the desk. August made a move to follow when Rhys whipped around. “You tell Jack a thing we say today, and consider your employment terminated.”

August grunted in response. Rhys seemed pleased with it, as he turned back around and followed Fiona and Vaughn to the cafeteria.

“So, what’s his problem?” Fiona leaned in to Vaughn, hoping Rhys didn’t hear her. From the way he was staring at the floor, he was too angry to even care.

“He and Jack are having a little spat right now.” Vaughn rubbed the back of his neck. “Rhys is mad because Jack-”

“Jack is a stubborn asshole. That’s my problem.” Rhys finally made eye contact. “I’ll tell you all about it when we are sitting down.”

The rest of the way through was silent. Fiona didn’t want to pry anymore, as Rhys was clearly fuming. Vaughn also wouldn’t have said anything anyway, the way he was staring at Rhys with concern and worry.

They sat down at their table, and August stood off nearby. Whatever he didn’t hear, he didn’t have to report to Jack. Fiona scooped some macaroni into her mouth while Rhys prodded his lunch with a fork.

“So…” Rhys looked up at Fiona as she spoke. Her mouth was still full of cheesy pasta. “Tell us more about what’s got you so pent up.”

“Chew with your mouth closed, please.” Rhys sighed, slumping into his chair. “Jack… Jack kissed me.”

Fiona’s fork dropped onto the table. Vaughn was staring at Rhys with wide eyes. “What!? No way!” 

Rhys glared until they both got silent. “I walked into his office- god, the day started out so normal. He looked stressed and tired.” Rhys rubbed his temples. “I know that scanning him is one of the worst things I could do, but… I couldn’t help myself.”

“You scanned Jack, and he let you?” Fiona shoved another forkful into her mouth. “Seems to me Jack is the kinda guy who likes his privacy.”

“That’s what I thought. He usually yells at me. And I know he knew I did it too- he was looking right at me while he was drinking his coffee... “ Rhys continued to poke his food, unable to look up.

“Well? Don’t keep us in the dark, Rhys!” Vaughn was about ready to pounce on Fiona, glaring as she kept pushing Rhys for more information. Rhys let out a sigh.

“His heart was beating so fast… I thought it was the coffee at first, but then my eye told me that… his current status was enamored.” Vaughn and Fiona nearly lost it then. They both looked at each other wildly as Rhys furrowed his eyebrows.

“So I approached him… and he kissed me.” That’s when the rage returned to Rhys’ face. “And that bastard kissed me, then told me he was busy.” Vaughn’s jaw dropped. Fiona never felt more grasped by the heartstrings. Rhys looked so hurt and betrayed.

“I had just told him his schedule was clear, and he had the guts to look me in the eyes and say,” Rhys imitated his best Jack voice. “ _ ‘I got important business, Rhys.’ _ ” 

The table was silent as the story finally settled on Vaughn and Fiona. Rhys was heartbroken and angry because he felt like Jack had played him. The big sister in Fiona wanted to pull Rhys close, tell him everything would be okay and that Jack shouldn’t play with Rhys like that.

Distance was best, and Rhys was a target. She couldn’t slip now.

“I just felt so…” Rhys groaned. “I felt so stupid… like maybe my eye was tricking me, and he didn’t want me at all…”

Vaughn grabbed Rhys’ hand. “Bro, you are not stupid. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like that.” Rhys rubbed his eye, sniffling. He gave Vaughn a sad smile.

“Wanna know the worst part? Despite all that, I still walked myself down here and bought him breakfast.” Rhys shook his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. “I-I’m so fucking stuck to him that even when I’m mad at him…”

Fiona scooted her chair closer to Rhys, wrapping an arm around his shaking shoulders. Vaughn copied her movements so that they both had Rhys sandwiched between them. “It’s okay, Rhys… It’s okay.”

Rhys let out a tiny, choked sob in response. This was the last emotion she expected to see from someone who worked at Hyperion.

They sat there for ten minutes, huddled in the Hub of Heroism while Rhys shook and sobbed.

***

His face was still streaked with tears, and his eyes were bloodshot, but Rhys never felt more powerful. Nothing could stop him.

That’s why his first stop after lunch was right to Jack’s office.

Jack’s shiny new comm sat on his desk as he paced, yelling at whoever was on the other side. Rhys wasn’t expected, so Jack’s eyes got wide before he grumbled and ended the comm call.

“Hey…” Jack and Rhys stood there like that, staring at each other. One was shocked, the other enraged.

Rhys stomped up the steps to Jack’s desk. “We need to talk, Jack.”

Jack blinked in confusion. Before he could say anything, Rhys had him by the collar and was tugging him so that they stood with only centimeters between them.

“You love me. Don’t even try to deny it. My eye never lies to me, and you may be a two-faced man, Jack, but even you can’t play with tech that way.” Jack raised an eyebrow at Rhys as the younger one ranted. If he was even the slightest bit rational, he would have stopped what he was saying.

“Why did you lie to me?” Rhys took a step closer, forcing Jack to sit in his chair. Rhys was standing over Jack now, slamming his hands on either side of Jack’s head to cage him in. “Tell me, Jack.”

“I wasn’t lying, Rhysie.” Rhys scoffed before Jack finished. Jack’s glare got him quiet again. “I never said that I loved you. You just assumed that because you scanned me without my permission.”

Rhys sucked in a breath. “You didn’t stop me from-”

Jack hushed him. “Why do you think I didn’t stop you, Rhys? Think about that, won’t you?”

They were breathing each other’s air. Rhys’ skin tingled from where it brushed against Jack. The electricity between them was driving Rhys mad.

Oh, he was so gone

“Why-”

“You know why, kitten.” Jack’s smug smile made Rhys’ heart jump. “Don’t play dumb. You’re so much smarter than that.”

He took one deep breath, then two. He felt Jack grab the sides of his face and pull him in for a kiss. This one was soft and gentle as Jack stood up and pushed Rhys back against his desk. The comm fell over the side. Rhys was quickly placed where it was.

“Jack…” Rhys wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck. Jack’s hands ghosted down his sides, squeezing his hips before his hands went up Rhys’ shirt. Jack moved from kissing Rhys to kissing his jaw, sucking and biting marks onto his flesh.

“J-Jack, wait-” Rhys sat up, and Jack jumped up with him.

“What’s up, Rhysie?” The way Jack was looking at him knocked the breath from Rhys’ lungs.

“S-so you do? Love me?” Jack rubbed circles on Rhys’ hip with his thumb.

“Duh. Was that not clear?”

Rhys pounced on Jack, wrapping his legs around Jack’s waist. He’s never wanted him closer.


	12. The Chapter With the Naughty

The first hour that Rhys didn’t come home was concerning, but Vaughn shouldn’t be worried because lateness was normal for Rhys. Rhys would get loaded with paperwork sometimes, and wouldn’t come home until a later time.

The second hour, Vaughn got a little more concerned. By then, Rhys would have called to warn him to not stay up for him, or something. He had taken to pacing around the room, checking on Angel (safe and sound, in her box, where she always was), then pacing again. The mindless wandering ended up with him sitting in Rhys’ room, at the foot of his bed, staring at the full-length mirror.

The third hour passed, and Vaughn was getting antsy. He should go up to Jack’s office, see if Rhys was still at his desk; but then Jack would expect him to carry Angel with him, and he didn’t want Rhys to know that he hid something from him. He was his bro. 

The fourth hour ticked into place as Vaughn threw his hands up in frustration and grabbed his comm. He dialed Rhys as quickly as possible, then paced the living room while he waited.

“I swear to god, Rhys, if you got yourself killed-” Vaughn shuddered at the thought. The tone ended, making Vaughn’s heart pound, until Rhys’ voicemail played over.

_ “Hey, this is Rhys, I’m not available right now-” _

“Dammit!” Vaughn tossed the comm onto the table, staring at the clock. He would give Rhys five minutes to call back before he stormed the office and dragged his sorry butt home.

The comm sat on the coffee table, taunting Vaughn with it’s silence. 

“God dammit Rhys!” Vaughn pushed himself off the table and made his way for his room. He might as well bring Angel, and he would need to get out of his pyjamas. Just as Vaughn left the room, his comm rang.

Vaughn spun on his heel and dove for the device. Rhys’ name was displayed and Vaughn laughed in happiness. He answered and felt his palms get sweaty. “Jesus Rhys, where are y-”

Rhys sighed softly, grumbling like he was asleep. “Hey Vaughn, sorry I didn’t call you.” 

“Where are you right now? Are you in trouble?” Rhys chuckled on the other end. Vaughn wanted to bang his head into the wall from the anger swelling in his stomach.

“I’m with Jack, don’t worry.” There was some shuffling on the other end. Vaughn felt his face flush as he heard Rhys shush someone. “Yeah, sorry bro. I forgot to call you. I’m staying at Jack’s tonight.”

Vaughn grumbled. “Well, are you going to be here for breakfast tomorrow? Fiona is coming over.” Rhys hummed.

“I don’t know, man. Might just be you and Fi. Sorry.” Vaughn shook his head. He couldn’t believe this-

“Whatever dude. Thanks for the heads up.” Before Rhys could apologize in his stupid sleepy voice again, Vaughn ended the call and tossed his comm onto the table. Rhys was so willing to shrug off years of tradition for Jack, and it made Vaughn sick. He honestly wondered where his best friend went.

It was that damn promotion. Vaughn knew from the second Jack began to show interest in Rhys that something was going to split them up. Handsome Jack always got what he wanted, whether it be a vault or a brand new pretty PA. Rhys gladly gave Jack all the information he wanted and suddenly, Rhys was Handsome Jack’s number one lap dog.

Yeah, Vaughn benefited with becoming a department head thanks to Rhys talking him up to Jack, but it didn’t seem worth it when he didn’t have Rhys to boast about it with.

Now he was a safeguard for the most wanted device on Pandora, and Vaughn was just a sitting duck, waiting for something to get him.

He should leave. Plan B was meant for him and Rhys, an escape from Hyperion if they ever needed it. They always planned for the two of them to stick together. However, Vaughn wasn’t too opposed to going alone at the moment.

He stomped to his room, slamming the door shut behind him and pulling a suitcase out from under his bed. There was a craving for a fresh start, without having to see his best friend fall deeper for Handsome Jack.

The case was filled with random things from his closet, and Vaughn had repacked three times. After the third try, he gave up and slid the suitcase back underneath his bed.

“Rhys has me so whipped.” Vaughn laid down, staring at the ceiling. One last time, he checked the box that contained Angel. Then, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Vaughn stumbled out of bed to the sounds of his front door opening. He shook his head with one sad smile. “Hey Fiona. It’s just you and me for breakfast today, Rhys is bus-”

Things were being thrown around the apartment. Vaughn jumped up, grabbing his pants and jumping to put them on.

“Hey, Fiona? Is that you?” Vaughn opened the bedroom door, only to be met face to face with a masked person. His heart pounded as he backed away. A garbled mess of a language came from the mask as Vaughn tried to find a place to hide. He felt someone grab his arm and drag him.

“Rhys!” The person groaned at how loud Vaughn was, and punched Vaughn in the back of the head. Everything went black.

 

***

His comm was the first thing Rhys registered when he woke up. The second was how he was tangled in sheets that didn’t belong to him. There was a mass of warmth pressed against Rhys’ back. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Rhys yawned and attempted to sit up.

His shoulder protested. Past Rhys was such a dick to forget to remove his cybernetics. Rhys kicked the sheets off of his body, waking up his bed partner.

“What the fuck, kid?” Rhys chuckled, running the fingers of his real hand through Jack’s hair. Jack grumbled, but didn’t pull away.

“I should check my comm… and I need to remove my arm, if I’m staying.” One of Jack’s eyes shot open, glaring at Rhys. It didn’t do much to effect Rhys anymore.

“You bet your tight ass you’re staying.” Rhys snorted as he got up. The comm had just finished ringing when he got to his feet. Removing his cybernetics was easy, with years of practice. He could feel Jack staring at his back as he put his arm on Jack’s dresser.

“Can you check who that was for me, Jack?” Rhys rubbed his sore shoulder while Jack slid over to where Rhys was sleeping, grabbing his comm from the end table.

“It was your buff dweeb.” Rhys hummed, climbing back into bed with Jack. He took the comm from him and called Vaughn back. Within a few rings, Vaughn answered him.

“Jesus Rhys, where are y-?”

“Hey Vaughn. Sorry I didn’t call you.” Jack pulled Rhys back onto the mattress and into his arms. Jack pressed kisses onto the back of Rhys’ neck, drawing a soft sigh from him.

“Where are you right now? Are you in trouble?” Jack’s fingers wiggled on Rhys’ hip, making him giggle. Vaughn huffed in annoyance.

“I’m with Jack, don’t worry.” Jack mumbled something about Rhys’ ass. Rhys looked back at him and shushed him before focusing back on the call. “Yeah, sorry bro. I forgot to call you. I’m staying at Jack’s tonight.” Nevermind that he didn’t know he was staying less than two minutes ago.

“Well, are you going to be here for breakfast tomorrow?” Rhys bit his lip. He forgot that tomorrow was Sunday. “Fiona is coming over.” Rhys felt so bad. Jack’s hands were distracting him, though.

“I don’t know, man. Might just be you and Fi. Sorry.” He could tell Vaughn was angry with him, yet again. Rhys was going to be buying him lunch for weeks to make up for this.

“Whatever dude. Thanks for the heads up.” Before Rhys could apologize again, Vaughn ended the comm call. Rhys sighed and dropped the comm back onto the end table and settled into Jack’s arms.

“Trouble in paradise, kitten?” Jack turned Rhys around so that they were facing each other. Rhys sighed in response.

“I’d rather not think of that right now.” Rhys looked back up to catch the wicked glint in Jack’s eyes.

“Well baby, you’re in luck. I got just the thing to take your mind off of your troubles.” Jack maneuvered them so that Rhys was pressed into the mattress with Jack looming over him. Rhys’ legs were hanging over Jack’s thighs, framing Jack’s hips.

“Again?” Rhys tilted his head back as Jack bit his neck. Any wit he had left flew away at Jack’s teeth grazing his jugular.

“What was that, pumpkin? No snappy remark?” Rhys groaned and rolled his hips. Jack chuckled, shaking his head. “Didn’t think so.”

Jack’s hand slid down his torso, making Rhys sigh and shiver. One of Jack’s fingers circled his entrance, pressing past the ring of muscle with ease. “That’s it, kitten. Nice and easy.” Rhys groaned, biting down on his flesh hand to stop any noise. In response, Jack slapped his thigh with his free hand, making Rhys jump. “None of that. I wanna hear it all, Rhysie.”

A second finger pressed in, sliding in easily with their earlier round. Rhys shuddered, rocking his hips along with Jack’s stretching. Rhys moaned, loud and clear, just as Jack had ordered. He could feel his stomach flip at the shit-eating grin on Jack’s face. _ What a cocky asshole _ .

“H-Handsome Jack being  _ gentle _ ?” Rhys chuckled, cut off by a moan as Jack twisted his fingers to go deeper. “N-fuck- never thought I’d see the d-day.” Jack brought his hand down to Rhys’ thigh again, making him yelp. He could feel the heat build up as blood rushed to where Jack was now soothing the sting away. He was going to be bruised up pretty bad.

He never felt more powerful.

“Want it rough, kitten?” Rhys nodded, making Jack shake with laughter. “Oh baby, you should see yourself right now. So wrecked. It’s delicious.”

Rhys whined at the loss of Jack’s fingers, the empty feeling making him  rock against the CEO desperately. Jack gripped Rhys’ hips to keep him still. Rhys felt everything inside of him tense up as he wrapped his legs around Jack’s hips. He felt Jack’s cock push in, and his head rolled back.

“J-Jack!” Rhys wrapped his arm around Jack’s shoulder, pulling himself up so that he was practically sitting in Jack’s lap. He sank down until the full feeling of the other inside knocked the wind out of him. Jack purred, kissing Rhys’ face as he adjusted to the size.

“You’re doing so good, Rhys. You make me so proud.” Rhys flushed from Jack’s praise, slowly gaining his breathing back. The stretch finally eased from pain to desperation. With the position he put himself in, he couldn’t create much friction by bouncing, and letting Jack go was not an option. He finally has gotten so close to him- he wasn’t going to let go now.

“J-Jack…” Rhys groaned, gripping a handful of Jack’s hair to ground him. His mind buzzed, clouding everything around him. He needed Jack to move, and he needed him to move  _ now. _

“What is it baby?” Jack’s voice was so calm, not as shaky as Rhys’, and that made Rhys feel disgusting. Jack should be just as wrecked as he is. 

Well, if he’s going to act like a whore, might as well sound like one.

“I-If you don’t move right now, I’m going to die.”  Jack chuckled, his breath ghosting over Rhys’ skin. Jack’s hands on his hips helped him slowly pull out before thrusting back in. Rhys’s legs tensed, bringing Jack closer.

“Can’t have that, can we?” Jack buried his face into Rhys’ neck, growling and biting hard onto Rhys’ skin. The thought of being marked, of walking into work covered with hickeys from Handsome Jack just made everything so much better. “Feel good, pumpkin?”

“Yessss.” Rhys’ fingernails dug into the back of Jack’s skull, making him growl and toss him onto his back. The switch in position forced Jack to a different angle, and now Jack had full reign of himself. “Fuck- fuck fuck fuck fuck-”

“Language” Rhys scoffed, barely able to focus enough to roll his eyes. Jack was distracting him from his mind. His only thoughts belonged to how he was going to get Jack to give him more, which was easy. All it took was one breathy “harder” from Rhys to make Jack nearly lose control of himself.

“Look at me, Rhys. Open your eyes.” Rhys had to fight so that they were looking at each other. Rhys couldn’t hold back a moan from how Jack looked. There was a dominant possession clouding the mismatched eyes, and the fact that Rhys was the one to make Jack like this made everything so much better.

Jack began to increase his pace, knocking right into the spot that made Rhys scream. Rhys began to shake, his eyes tearing up. Jack kissed Rhys’ eyelids.

The moment was so tender, so unexpected, that Rhys felt his heart flutter. “J-Jack… I can’t…”

“Come for me, princess. I got you.” A few more powerful drives from Jack’s hips brought Rhys over the edge. He screamed until his voice nearly gave out. Jack kissed his hairline, rubbing his back until Rhys calmed down from his orgasm. 

Jack laid Rhys down, walking off to the bathroom to grab a rag. Rhys watched with lidded eyes as Jack cleaned his chest, then reached underneath him to try and get some of Jack’s cum out. Rhys groaned and tried to pull away.

“N-no… leave it.” Jack raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and tossed the rag back into the bathroom. Jack crawled back into bed, curling around Rhys in a protective ball. Rhys yawned, feeling exhaustion tug him under darkness. “I love you Jack.”

He was asleep before Jack could respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I can't write porn? I just need more practice is all. All of these chapters would not be possible without my lovely beta, Loki-Dokey. Thanks my sister-in-arms


	13. Missing Nerd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why must I hurt Vaughn so

The comm rang loudly, making Rhys whine. Jack growled as Rhys untangled himself from the sheets and Jack’s arms to go answer it.

“I might just throw that thing out of a fucking airlock.” Jack got up, making his way to the bathroom. The door slammed closed as Rhys shook his head.

“Such a child.” Rhys looked at his comm, seeing Fiona’s name on the screen. He accepted the call. “Hey Fiona. What’s-”

“Where’s Vaughn?” Fiona sounded breathless on the other end, and the sounds of someone grunting and furniture moving in the background. Rhys was stunned into silence. Fiona growled. “Rhys, where is Vaughn?”

“I-I don’t know. He called me last night…” The shower started, snapping Rhys back to reality. “Give me five minutes, I’ll be right there.”

Fiona sighed before the call ended. Rhys hopped around the bedroom, collecting his clothing as fast as he could before pulling them on. Jack must have heard him making noise, as the sound of the shower got louder as Jack opened the bathroom door.

“Got a hot date there, pumpkin?” Rhys stumbled as he pulled his pants on, trying to locate where his other skag skin shoe was.

“I’m sorry Jack, I have to go now-” The shower stopped, and Jack was standing by the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“What’s got you in a frenzy?” Rhys shook his head as he pulled his shirt on, trying to button it up right so he didn’t look like he just got bent over by the CEO of Hyperion. 

“It’s Vaughn. Fiona says he’s not in the apartment. I think he’s in trouble.” Rhys grabbed his comm. Jack joined Rhys in rushed dressing. Rhys was too worried about his friend to even question it. Both of them left Jack’s penthouse, racing to Rhys’ apartment.

 

***

 

Fiona had searched the entire apartment, but she couldn’t find the drive anywhere. Rhys had to be hiding it, right? August, bless his soul, came running the moment Fiona called that Rhys’ apartment was completely trashed and that no one was home. He was more than pissed to see the way the door was hanging off it’s hinges and the furniture either flipped or broken.

She should feel bad for snooping around and practically using Vaughn’s disappearance as a cover for her mission. The one where she had to kill Rhys, she reminded herself. Getting close to them was going to be her downfall.

August ran out of the apartment to stand in the hallway. She couldn’t blame him- Rhys may have been blind not to notice, but Fiona was trained to read people. Every time the four of them got together for lunch, Vaughn would always have these doe eyes towards August. If she was reading August correctly, he felt the same towards Vaughn, to some degree. 

Rhys ran in, freezing as he took in the apartment. “Vaughn?” His voice cracked as he looked around. He ignored his own mess and went straight to his best friend’s bedroom. He crouched down, fitting his nails to the scratch marks on Vaughn’s floor.

“He was here, all alone… I should have been here last night.” Rhys stayed there, following the marks with his own nails. “If I was here last night... “ Fiona sat beside him, rubbing his shoulder. That’s when something caught Rhys’ eye.

He crawled over to a black box, which seemed in pretty good condition considering everything else in the apartment. Rhys grabbed it, sitting on his heels.

“What is it?” Rhys jumped, looking back at Fiona. His eyes were wet.

“I don’t know.. but if it’s what I think it is… Jack’s a dead man.” Carefully, Rhys slid the box open. From Fiona’s position, she couldn’t see what was inside, but the way Rhys slammed it shut and got up suddenly, she could only assume that it was Rhys thought it was.

“That motherfucker.” Rhys growled, stalking out of the room. Fiona followed close on his heels as Rhys pushed Jack against the wall. The box was pressed against his chest.

“You gave Vaughn the drive!” Fiona felt her heart stop as Jack opened the box. Inside was the sleek Hyperion ID drive. Her main objective was only five feet away, taunting her with how close it was. Jack cradled the drive carefully, like he was holding glass. “No wonder he got attacked- Jack, why would you put Vaughn in trouble like that!?”

“I didn’t think…” Jack placed the drive back in the box, closing it quickly. “We have to get her out of here.”

“And what about Vaughn!? Are you just going to leave him?” Jack didn’t respond. Rhys scoffed, backing away.

“Fine. Don’t look for Vaughn. I’ll do it myself.” Jack looked like he was about to protest when Rhys took off down the hallway. August gave chase, grabbing Rhys’ shoulder and yanking him back. With Rhys struggling, he wrapped his arms around his waist to prevent escape.

“Alright, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Just listen to Jack for a moment.” August dragged Rhys back, locking his arms tight as Rhys wiggled violently.

“Let me go! I gotta-I gotta get Vaughn!” Rhys stepped wildly, jabbing August in the calves with the heels of his shoes. Jack stepped close to Rhys, leaning his head on his shoulder.

“We’ll get your friend, Rhysie. In fact,” Jack looked to August. “I’ll have this one take a team of soldiers and search every bandit camp they can find.” August slowly let Rhys go when he stopped struggling. Rhys, once set on his feet, fell into Jack’s embrace. “We’ll get him out of this, pumpkin.”

“Do you promise?” Rhys’ voice was weak. Fiona glanced at August, who shrugged.

“I promise. With him gone, I’m not gonna leave you in the office on your own, so you’re going to be staying in my penthouse.” Jack rubbed Rhys’ shoulder. “You’ll be surrounded by on the clock protection, and you’ll monitor Angel.”

“You trust me to watch her?” Fiona flinched. She would have to get past security to Jack’s penthouse in order to get to Rhys and the drive, but once she did, she would complete her mission. Jack gave Rhys a warm smile.

“There’s no one I trust more. Now, see if you can salvage something from that mess in there, and I’ll set August here up with some gear and backup. After that, I’ll take you back to the penthouse so you can get comfy.”

Rhys looked over to Fiona, his eyes sparkling. He walked to the apartment door, but stopped for a second before turning back to Jack. “Can Fiona come with me? I.. I need a friend right now.”

Fiona felt her heart pound as Jack scowled. He gave her a once over, and Fiona was very conscious of the weight around her wrist. Jack grunted, making Rhys beam as he swept through the apartment for some of his clothes, and Vaughn’s glasses. Fiona stood in shock as she stared at Jack.

He was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “Keep Rhysie company, make sure he’s 100%... got it? Do that, you’re looking at a promotion.”

Fiona nodded, unable to speak through the lump in her throat.


	14. Caretakers

Jack’s apartment was just as overly elegant Fiona had expected it to be. The furniture all matched, the walls were painted evenly, and there wasn’t a speck of dirt anywhere. The couch itself was probably worth more than five years of work for Fiona, and Rhys just threw himself down onto it and relaxed into the cushions.

“Thank you for coming with me.” Rhys patted the seat next to him. Fiona shook her head- she feared that even sitting down would ruin the perfectly white fabric and she really didn’t need to suffer through Jack’s punishment for soiling his pretty couch. Rhys furrowed his brow then shrugged. “I know it’s really scary to be here, but it means a lot to me that you came with me.”

Fiona sat with her legs crossed on the floor. “I couldn’t just leave you here by yourself.” Rhys chuckled, staring at his cybernetic arm.  “After all…” Fiona couldn’t finish her thought. Rhys hurried to wipe away his tears, sniffling.

“I failed him, didn’t I?” Rhys’ voice cracked as he slumped over. “Poor Vaughn… he’s probably terrified right now…” Fiona reached a hand up, meaning to comfort, but Rhys shook his head. The atmosphere was heavy, and Fiona didn’t know how to handle it. Sasha was always more stable, and Rhys obviously wasn’t as tough as her sister is. This was just slightly out of her comfort zone. 

Slightly. 

“Hey.” Rhys looked up, eyes red and puffy from tears. Fiona stood up and sat beside Rhys. “Why don’t we watch a movie or something? Or play a game to get your mind off of things?”

Rhys sniffled, melting into Fiona’s side. His tears were going to stain her work jacket, but if it made Rhys feel better. “B-but…. Vaughn-”

“Is being rescued by his knight in shining armor, and will make it back in one piece. If he doesn’t, I’ll go after those bandits and tear them apart myself.” Rhys gave Fiona a sad smile.

“Thanks.” Fiona patted Rhys’ head, surprised at how soft his hair was.

“No problem. Now, I’m gonna see what Jack has in his cabinets. You figure out what you want to watch.”

***

The movie was horrible, and they hadn’t really paid any attention to it. Rhys was distracted constantly, telling Fiona every little story about him and Vaughn. Fiona really didn’t want to listen- it was just another way to get way too attached to her target, but if it made Rhys feel better then she would deal.

“-and these assholes had the audacity to turn to Vaughn and said they filled their ‘nerd quotient’.” Rhys’ hands landed in his lap. One thing Fiona learned quickly was that he was a hand talker. Everything was accompanied by some wild gestures.

“So I didn’t go in. I just couldn’t leave him to sit on the curb all night. What kind of bro would I be then?” Rhys sighed, slumping into the couch. Fiona tapped her bottom lip in thought.

“You guys really haven’t been apart this long, have you?” Rhys nodded. Fiona almost felt sorry for him. She and Sasha haven’t been apart for as long as Fiona’s been on Helios, and she misses her like crazy. With the kidnapping of Vaughn, she hasn’t had the chance to call her sister and make sure that she’s still alive. “I’m sure he’s okay, Rhys.”

“But…” Before Rhys could argue, the front door slammed open. Rhys fought the nest of blankets he was in to free himself, landing on his feet and hopping over the back of the sofa before Fiona could react. “Jack! Oh god, are you okay?”

Fiona’s head whipped around, and she saw Jack limp into the room, covered in blood. He tossed his pistol to the floor, making Rhys jump away.

“Not right now, pumpkin. Go back to whatever you were doing.” Jack and Fiona finally made eye contact, and the bloodlust swirling beneath green and blue made her stomach turn.

“Jack, you’re hurt, just let me-” Jack growled when Rhys got close. Fiona had to hand it to Rhys. He was close to strangulation range, and yet he was still pressing Jack further. Jack showed a restraint towards Rhys that she never expected to see.

If only that restraint was shown for Pandora.

“I’m not kidding, Rhys. Go. Away.” Jack and Rhys were glaring at each other now, Rhys with his hands on his hips and Jack nearly curled over with his hand pressed to his side.

“Let me help, Jack.” The silence was suffocating. Jack let out a huff of annoyance before waving Rhys closer. Rhys bounced on his heels once before wrapping Jack’s free arm around his shoulders.

“I'll be right back, Fiona. Let me-” Fiona could tell she looked shocked. Jack was still staring at Rhys, taking in every detail of his face like he hung the sun himself. Realization hit Fiona like a sack of bricks. No wonder Lilith wanted her to kill Rhys. 

“N-no. Go ahead. I should uh… get going anyway.” Jack finally broke his longing gaze at Rhys to take in Fiona’s appearance. Rhys looked absolutely terrified. Funny how he was willing to stand up to Handsome goddamn Jack, but not ready for Fiona to leave.

“Nope. You’re staying tonight, sweetcheeks.” Jack let out a groan. Rhys adjusted him on his shoulder. “I’ll have Rhys look for something for pyjamas, but you… shit- Rhys.” Without needing to be told, Rhys supported most of Jack’s weight and helped him walk to the bedroom. Fiona stood by the couch, staring at the door. Jack’s pistol still sat, abandoned. Now would be the perfect time. With Jack out for the count, he wasn’t in any condition to chase Fiona… She shook her head and sat down on the couch. Jack in a bloodlust could chase after her. A small injury never stopped him before. She would have more opportunities to kill Rhys, and next time she wouldn’t hesitate.

At least, that’s what Fiona told herself. 


	15. I Need A Doctor

Rhys’ attention was entirely pulled from the Vaughn situation. As far as he was concerned, Jack was the pressing issue. He had carried Jack back to his bed, and reached for his comm.

“What do you think you’re doing, princess?” Jack hissed when he sat up. Rhys glared as he called up the medical.

“You need a doctor, Jack.” Rhys jumped when Jack groaned again. Jack flopped back onto the sheets, clutching his stomach. Rhys shook his head as he listened to the comm ring.

“No I don’t.” Rhys ignored him, waiting for the call to go through. The medical wing must be packed if they were taking this long to answer. “Baby, Rhysie, pumpkin, all I need is a pair of tweezers and I’ll get this bullet out in no time.” Finally, the call was beginning to patch through.

“You are not pulling the bullet out yourself. Hello, this is Rhys…” Jack sat up, his face twisted in pain as he got onto his feet and stumbled to Rhys. The comm was smacked out of his hands as Jack fell into Rhys’ arms.

“I don’t need a doctor.” Jack was holding his stomach, blood dripping from between his fingers. Rhys dragged Jack back to the bed and pulled the covers around him. “Fuck, kid, jesus-”

“Lay down. I’ll get you a doctor, and then you can try to act all heroic when you get better.” Jack turned his face into the pillow, grumbling as Rhys got off of Jack’s chest. Rhys grabbed his comm from the floor. 

“Hi, sorry about that. I need someone up here as soon as possible.” Rhys looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye. The CEO pouted at him, making him roll his eyes. “Floor A001. Yeah.  _ Yes,  _ Handsome Jack’s place. Thank you.” Rhys tossed the comm onto the dresser and rubbed his eyes.

“They’re never on time.” Jack buried his face back into the pillow. “I should just space ‘em. Fuckin’ useless bastards.”

“They’re professionals, Jack.” Rhys stepped into Jack’s bathroom, crouching underneath the sink. “We kinda need them.” Underneath Jack’s sink was surprisingly clean and organized. He grabbed the first aid kit and returned to Jack. 

“Professional idiots.” Rhys climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers off of Jack before straddling his waist. Jack’s eyebrows shot up as he grinned at Rhys. The way Jack’s eyes took in the image of Rhys made him swallow hard. To distract himself, he searched the first aid kit and found a pair of scissors and some cloth.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rhys glanced up through his lashes. A few months ago, that look Jack was giving him would have been terrifying. Now, it was like looking at pouting child. 

“I have to cut the clothes away so they can remove the bullet.” Rhys slipped the sharp edge of the scissors underneath Jack’s waistcoat. With one slide, he managed to cut away the fabric so that he could slip it off without moving Jack. When trying to cut Jack’s hideous yellow Hyperion sweater, Jack sucked in a breath and grabbed Rhys’ wrist.

“Don’t… don’t cut that.” Rhys and Jack stared at each other. Rhys raised an eyebrow while Jack’s gripped tightened. The silence made Rhys’ heart pound. Without another word, he pulled the scissors away.

“”Fine… but I can’t promise they won’t try to cut it when they get up here.”

“I’ll blow their fucking heads off if they do.” 

Rhys shook his head, a smile tugging on his lips as he put the scissors back in the first aid kit. Then he placed the thick cloth over Jack’s wound.

“This is gonna hurt, so… hold your breath?” Jack groaned when Rhys applied pressure. Blood immediately began to soak through. Rhys’ stomach flipped at the warm liquid being absorbed under his hands. Jack gripped Rhys’ thighs, making him wince. There were going to be bruises there later.

“So… how do you know how to do this?” Rhys glanced up at Jack. He could tell Jack really didn’t care, from the dull look in his eyes, but Rhys appreciated the distraction. “It’s not like you shoot, so how do you know how to take care of fuck ups?”

“I still work for a gun manufacturing company Jack.” Rhys snorted. “I may not be very bright, but I’m not entirely useless.” Rhys pressed his hands down a little too hard, making Jack groan. He jumped back, mumbling an apology. 

“Scratch that, then…” Rhys’ eyes were trained on Jack’s wound then, not wanting to look up after he just hurt Jack on accident. Jack’s body shook, and Rhys looked up to see Jack… laughing?

“Kiddo, you are not useless. Trust me, if you were, you wouldn’t be here right now.” Rhys felt his face flush. Jack’s squeezed his thighs in some weird form of comfort. “You’re smart, Rhys. Don’t doubt that.”

The bedroom door opened, and both of them turned to stare. Fiona was in the doorway with one of the many medics on staff. She stepped aside as the doctor walked in. Rhys stumbled off of Jack in shame, scratching the back of his head as the doctor approached Jack’s bedside. He shouldn’t have let anyone see him over Jack like that. Rumors spread so fast...

“If you don’t mind, young man, could you leave the room?” The doctor startled Rhys from his thought process. He nodded and followed Fiona into the living room. Before the door closed, Rhys could hear Jack threaten the doctor’s life. He rolled his eyes as the door clicked shut.

The doctor took only a few minutes to remove the bullet and stitch the wound closed. Jack, being as weird as he was, got to keep the bullet as a reminder. As long as Rhys didn’t have to touch it, he was fine. The doctor allowed him back in with strict orders to not make Jack lift anything or do any strenuous work. Jack, of course, waved that off with no worry to his own well being.

“Calm down, sweetcheeks, it’s not like it’s gonna hurt ya.” Jack shook the bullet in the clear container he was displaying it in. Smears of Jack’s blood from the shell dirtied the inside. Rhys flinched away from it. Fiona was staring at it with awe.

“That looks so cool. You always keep bullets?” Jack tossed the container to Fiona, who rattled it around a bit to inspect every inch. 

“Nah, but this one’s special. Not only did I get to kill the bastard who was the reason it was inside me,” Rhys glanced at Jack, catching the briefest hint of a devilish grin. “It also got me the chance to see my pretty assistant play nurse for a bit.”

Fiona was too enamored by the bullet to care that Jack was embarrassing Rhys. Rhys rubbed his face and groaned into his palms. “Fiona, can you give me and Jack a moment, please?” 

“Can I take the bullet with me?” Jack shrugged, making Fiona hop off of Jack’s bed and leave the room. Rhys waited until he heard Fiona’s footsteps vanish before he glared at Jack.

“Could you not say stuff like that in front of my friends, please?” Jack snorted at the pout Rhys gave him.

“Why not? She didn’t seem to care.” Rhys crossed his arms, which he only hoped made him look a little bit more intimidating.

“That’s not an appropriate thing to say around my friends Jack. We already have the doctor, who caught me…” He cleared his throat, looking away. Jack sat up, which caused him to groan.

“The doctor doesn’t give two shits, Rhys. You think this is the first time they saw you takin’ care of me?” Rhys stood up, his legs nearly giving out from how shaky he was.

“I wasn’t just… taking care of you, Jack. I had my legs around your waist and… For god’s sake, that’s going to spread around Helios so fast-” Jack began to laugh, clutching his stomach as he wheezed. Rhys’ cheeks burned as he shoved Jack’s shoulder. “It’s not funny! What are people going to think?”

“So what? You think I care kiddo?” Jack shook his head. “They can say whatever the fuck they want.” People around Helios will never look at him the same, and Jack- god, Jack’s reputation…

“You’re okay with the entirety of Hyperion knowing about us? Like,  _ everyone  _ on this space station  _ right now _ ?” Jack shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head. “Wait… you’re serious?” 

“Why wouldn’t I be? What’s there to be ashamed of?” Rhys’ breath hitched.

“You’re not ashamed of… me?” Rhys’ stomach turned when Jack shook his head. His head was spinning so fast-

“Nothing to be ashamed about you, pumpkin. In fact, I want them to know. Means no one will dare put their filthy hands on you.” Rhys sank back onto the edge of the bed, slowly processing the fact that Jack wants _ everyone on Helios _ to know that they are… Rhys doesn’t even know how to describe what they are.

“Rhys. Hey, look at me.” Rhys slowly met Jack’s gaze. The intensity was melting Rhys on the inside. “If you care that much, I’ll make sure that doctor won’t say a word. I didn’t realize this made you that uncomfortable-”

“It’s… not that I’m uncomfortable. Just…. I didn’t expect you to see this as more than a secret thing... Something you didn’t want to get out.” Jack waved his hand, motioning for Rhys to come closer. Rhys reluctantly curled up besides Jack.

“In case you haven’t noticed, sweetheart, everything I do is public. What’s the point without an audience?” Rhys dared to nuzzle into Jack’s shoulder, just to hide his face. “Gain some confidence, kid. Confidence is hot. It’ll match nicely with those long legs of yours.”

They laid there, silence making Rhys squirm. He could not stop thinking. Jack’s fingers going through his ungelled hair didn’t do anything to help. Without warning, Rhys swung his leg so that he was straddling him again.  This time, Jack only raised his eyebrows at him.

“So… playing nurse, huh?” Rhys picked at the collar of Jack’s sweater, just to give his hands something to do. “Is that what you want right now?” Jack ran his fingertips over Rhys’ thighs, slipping them beneath his shirt to drag over the soft skin of his abdomen.

“You really wanna do this kiddo? You heard the doctor.” Jack was teasing him. Rhys smiled, bending down to kiss Jack on the cheek.

“Then looks like I’ll be doing all the work, doesn’t it?” 


	16. Vaughn Pinned to a Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie most of this is pure fanservice for myself.

The second the first moan slipped from the bedroom, Fiona cranked the TV volume up. She really should have just left, but something was keeping her glued to the couch. Jack did say that she was going to stay the night, which would make it easier to poke around and find the ID drive. However, suffering through the sounds of Jack and Rhys in the bedroom- was it really worth it?

The movie really wasn’t capturing her attention, and she really did not want to turn it off. God dammit, did Rhys forget she was here already? If this is how he is around her, she would hate to see how he is around Vaughn.

At the thought of him, Fiona sagged into the couch a little more. Vaughn was really nice, even though he worked for one of the most soul-crushing corporations in the universe. He didn’t doubt her for a second when they first met. Vaughn was naive for believing her, but she couldn’t blame him. He was raised on this stuff, not the Pandoran landscapes like Fiona. Deep down, Fiona could admit that she actually hoped to be able to convince Vaughn to forgive her.

She hoped for forgiveness when she will kill his best friend. Yeah, chances of that are very low.

Jack’s comm went off, breaking Fiona’s attention. The name displayed “Princess”, which really did not help Fiona in the slightest. With a sigh, she answered it and moved so that she could be far from the TV and not hear Jack and Rhys in the background. When she answered, she heard heavy breathing.

“Hey, just wanted to let you know I got him. He’s safe and sound. Tell Rhys that he doesn’t have a scratch.” Someone whined in the background, which made August grumble. “Gotta go. Later.”

Well, at least one good thing is happening. Fiona squared her shoulders, paced to Jack’s door, and knocked as loud as she could. Even above the noise of the TV, she could hear Jack tell her to fuck off.

“Jack, jesus-” There was shuffling before the door cracked open. Thankfully, Rhys only poked his head out. “Hi… uh… what’s up?”

“August has Vaughn back. I’m guessing they’re at your apartment right now.” Rhys’ eyes got wide as he slammed the door shut. Jack and Rhys began to argue in whispers as more movement happened behind the door. “So… I’m gonna go to the apartment.”

“Hold on, I’ll come with you!” Rhys slammed the door open, wearing loose clothing that was so obviously Jack’s that Fiona had to look away. The CEO himself did not look to happy to have his time interrupted.

“I expect you to finish the damn job when you get back, Rhysie!” Rhys shut the door, ignoring Jack completely. He grabbed his shoes from beside the doorway and slipped them on. Fiona decided that preserving her sanity was more important than figuring out what the hell Rhys was thinking.

***

Vaughn tugged on August’ collar, whining low in his throat from the lack of attention. August grunted as he tossed his comm somewhere in the mess of the apartment. To think that just a few days ago bandits came rampaging through here for the drive-

Warm, cracked lips dragged him back from his thoughts. August crouched down, hooking his arms under Vaughn’s thighs to lift him up and slam him against one of the paper thin walls of the apartment. Between August’s rough handling and the slight scratch of drywall on his back, Vaughn’s stomach flipped. He couldn’t think clearly with August grinding against him and devouring his moans.

“Thought I wouldn’t find you-” August sucked a bruise onto Vaughn’s jaw. “Searched for you all fuckin’ day.” Vaughn dug his fingers into sandy blonde locks while August continued his assault on his neck. “Gave us all a fuckin’ heart attack, you little shit.”

“I’m so sorry.” Vaughn’s words slurred together, drunk from the kisses. August shook his head. 

“I got you back here, that’s all that matters.” August dove for his shoulder, biting into the soft skin. Vaughn sobbed, tugging on his hair hard. It did something to August, since he bucked his hips and growled.

“O-oh…” Vaughn snapped out of his drunken state, and August’s head whipped to the front door. “Um… we could uh… come back later?” Rhys pointed towards the hallway as Fiona threw her hands up in defeat.

“Every goddamn time- is this normal for you guys?” Fiona left the room while Rhys was staring at Vaughn, or rather Vaughn’s throat. Vaughn quickly brought his hand up to cover the dark bruises all over his neck. August lightly set Vaughn back on the floor.

“Worst fucking timing.” August brushed his shirt off while Vaughn avoided Rhys’ amused look.

“So…. you guys been together long, or…” Vaughn hid his face in his hands, face burning furiously.

“Look, Rhys, I’m sorry you had to see that, really, but can you please.” August motioned towards the door, and Rhys stepped out with his arms crossed. Oh god he was  _ never _ going to live this down. August was scratching behind his head, staring at Vaughn from the corner of his eye.

“Hey… I’m sorry for uh… losing control there.” August crossed his arms, stepping away from Vaughn. If anything hurt more in the moment, it was how August was putting distance between them.

“Don’t worry about it. I kissed you… or at least I think I did.” Vaughn’s eyebrows furrowed together. Everything was so mixed up that he honestly could not remember who initiated the contact. August chuckled.

“All kind of blurred together for you, too?” They both smiled at each other. Vaughn thought his heart was going to burst right from his chest if August kept staring at him like that.

“So… should we uh…” Vaughn offered his hand, despite the fear of being rejected. August considered him for a moment, making Vaughn’s knees shake. Then, he grabbed his hand and helped him over the wreckage of what was his apartment.


	17. Bedridden

With Jack bedridden, Rhys didn’t feel right going back to work. After all, if he even took a step out of the apartment, Jack would wiggle his way out of bed and try to do something stupid, something that would ultimately lead him to a longer healing process. If he wasn’t there to monitor him, Rhys had a feeling he would see Jack in a grave before he saw him in his office again.

Just as Rhys had himself settled on the couch, letting Jack (hopefully) fall asleep, he heard the bedroom door slam open. With a sigh, Rhys put his laptop down and pushed it to the side, shuffling the blankets from his shoulders. 

“Jack, go back to bed!” Just as he suspected, Rhys caught Jack trying to leave the room- and tripping on his way out. The bandage on Jack’s side was beginning to turn red. “Seriously? That’s the second time you’ve broken your stitches.”

“G-got important shit to do, pumpkin. People need me-” Jack groaned when Rhys gently pushed on his shoulders, guiding him back into the bedroom and into bed. “Can’t function on this floating tin can without me.”

“I have it under control Jack.” Rhys smiled as he pulled the gauze from Jack’s skin. Oddly enough, the stitches were still intact. “Lucky you. I don’t have to call the medics again.” With a skip in his step, Rhys tracked down the dwindling med kit. 

“Fuckin’ doctors and shit… Good for nothin’...” Jack grumbled, turning to his unharmed side. Rhys quickly dressed the wound before Jack could dirty his sheets that he was sure costed more than his entire apartment.

“Yeah yeah, go back to sleep. I’ll go make some tea.” As he stood up to leave, Rhys felt Jack grab his wrist and tug him back. With a yelp, Rhys landed right besides Jack on the bed. 

“They’re not like you kiddo… You’re soooo fuckin’ smart.” Jack buried his face into the back of Rhys’ neck, his breath making him shiver. “You can handle anythin’ I throw at you…”

“Jack, I appreciate it, but-” Jack pressed a hand against Rhys’ mouth, preventing him from continuing. Obviously Rhys was going to have to lower the dosage of his painkillers.

“Jus’ shut up fer a second and lemme compliment you kitten.” Jack let go of Rhys’ face, awkwardly patting him on the cheek before his arm wrapped around Rhys’ waist. Well, he wasn’t going anywhere for a while, so he settled into the sheets with Jack at his back.

“Do you know how cute you are? Sometimes I wish I could relocate you to my office so I could look at you all day.” Jack’s arm tightened around his waist, pulling him tighter to his chest. It was shameful how Rhys’ first concern was the stitches. He was literally being cuddled by his boss. He really needed to monitor the painkillers.

“I see how some of those assholes look at you too. Like you’re the best damn thing that has happened in all of their pathetic lives- in fact, you are. You’re too good for them, sweetie. Those skagfuckers that prowl around tryin’ to take everything of mine.” Jack’s speech was slurring, a yawn dragging it’s way out of his body and into the nape of Rhys’s neck. Slowly, he was slipping into sleep.  _ Thank god _ , Rhys sighed into the pillow and listened to Jack rant.

“After all, you’re my baby boy.” Jack nuzzled into Rhys’ neck. “My precious baby boy who can talk his way out of anythin’. I dunno where I’d be without you, honey. Like, I’m not even kiddin’. I could have lost my fuckin’ mind months ago. After all, you stopped me from that Pandora shit after Angel…”

Once Jack began to lose whatever sense he was making, not that he was making any in the first place, Rhys wiggled his  way out of his arms. Jack whined, but didn’t move to grab for Rhys again. He even allowed Rhys to pull the covers over him and adjust the pillows by his head. His eyes slipped closed when Rhys’ fingers went through his hair.

“There we go. Nice and easy.” Rhys slipped out of the room, leaving the door cracked open just a bit. Back into the open space of the living room, Rhys let out a sigh. Jack had just admitted that he thought Rhys was cute. Granted, it was under the influence of strong medication, but it was something. After all, Jack couldn’t have pulled that from nowhere.

He began to make tea in a daze, holding on to every bit of Jack’s words. Vaughn was going to flip when he told him about this later-

Trying to pull the silverware drawer open resulted in him knocking himself in the stomach with the handle. There was a dull throb in his abdomen, making him groan. Well, so much for the smart comment. Out of his own thoughts, Rhys finally noticed the shiny silver padlock that held the drawer closed.

“Really Jack?” Rhys sighed. He almost forgot about Jack’s clever hiding spot for Angel. Rhys had argued that if anyone was brave enough to break into the penthouse anyway, than they would be sure to see the shiny silver and bust it open. That’s when Jack dismissed him and continued drilling to put the lock on.

Just as the kettle whistled, Rhys’ comm went off.  Hearing Vaughn’s voice was nothing but relief just washing over Rhys at this point. It still seemed so surreal to Rhys, that Vaughn was kidnapped in his place. That should have been him.

“Hey, sorry to bother you. I know Jack must have your hands full. I was wondering if I had clearance up to his suite later? It wouldn’t feel right having lunch without you.” 

Rhys tapped his fingers on the counter as he poured some steaming water into a mug. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind you coming to visit.” There was a sigh on Vaughn’s end. “Hey, you okay buddy?”

“Yeah, August is bored.” August? Rhys smirked at the comm, despite the fact that Vaughn couldn’t see his face. “D-don’t get any ideas, okay? He’s just… here with me…”

“In your office?” Vaughn got quiet as Rhys laughed. “Alone? Bet it’s very romantic over there.” Vaughn groaned.

“I’ll see you around lunchtime, okay? Just, text me if Jack wants anything. If he’s even awake by then.” Rhys dropped teabags into the mugs and let them sit, leaning on the counter.

“Don’t forget to bring your secret boyfriend, okay? Trust me, the more the merrier.” Before Vaughn could yell at him, Rhys ended the call and grabbed his tea. He sipped gently, and relaxed. Briefly, his fingers brushed over the lock.

“Don’t worry, Angel.” Rhys hummed as he put the mug down. “I’ll protect you.”

For a moment, he almost believed he could.


	18. Count on Me

Jack was beginning to get better, especially with finally being able to stand on his own. It wasn’t like Rhys was getting tired of taking care of Jack, but he really wanted to get back to work. No doubt there was going to be quite the pile to sift through thanks to his unexpected absence. The headache was already pounding in his skull.

Vaughn, bless his soul, stayed with Rhys and brought him news from around Helios. Once or twice, Rhys caught Jack looking at Vaughn with a blank expression. In his own way, Jack was apologizing to Vaughn for putting him in danger. 

“It’s a good thing you and Jack are going to come back soon.” Vaughn shoved a croissant in his mouth, sighing softly. “People are getting antsy, thinking Jack got seriously hurt.”

“Anyone try to take my place, cupcake?” Jack slid a mug of hot chocolate to Rhys, who managed to catch it before it spilled anything on the tabletop.

“I don’t think so.” Vaughn mumbled, picking at the layers of the pastry. “No one has touched your office. They weren’t able to get past Rhys’ desk.” 

“Not with August there, right?” Rhys watched as Vaughn flushed and inhaled another bite. He grinned, sipping his hot chocolate as he caught Jack staring at him.

“Do I gotta talk with Rhys’ bodyguard, princess?” Jack gave Vaughn of look of what was supposed to be intimidation, but Rhys knew better. 

“N-no! God, no. I’m fine. August and I are…” Vaughn coughed, slumping down into his chair. Jack smiled, exposing his canines. At least he was feeling better.

“Anyway, things are fine. August has been protecting your place. Poor Rhys has a stack of paperwork to the ceiling though.” Rhys groaned, dropping his head onto the table. Vaughn patted his arm in mock sympathy.

“I brought what I could here, but a lot of the stuff was marked confidential. I didn’t want to risk walking it down a hallway with the vultures.” Rhys stood up, grabbing the dishes from the table and escaping to the kitchen.

“How are the labs doing, buttercup?” Jack was whispering, but Rhys could still hear him over the stream of the sink. He almost felt bad eavesdropping, but he was as much a part of the Angel Restoration team as those two were.

“They are close. Just a few more days and they can resurrect her.” Vaughn sounded like he stuffed more pastries in his mouth. Rhys rolled his eyes. Jack was going to have an inflated ego over his baking for months.

“That’s good. They see anyone suspicious around?” Rhys almost snorted at the implication. No one was getting close to Angel without Rhys or Jack’s expressed permission-

“I hate to say this… and please don’t tell Rhys.” What? Rhys almost turned the water off, before he realized that would end the conversation. If he ever wanted to know, he had to be sneaky. The mug in his hands probably will never be cleaner.

“I think… I think Fiona is a person of interest. They saw her sneaking around the lab last time.” Rhys struggled to keep from dropping the mug into the sink. Fiona? A person of interest?”

“I knew there was something shady about her. She reeks of Pandora.” Jack grumbled, and the sound of the chair squeaking brought Rhys back to reality.

“Security wants to know if they should do something about her.”

“Nah, leave her be.” Jack stood up, the sound of his sneakers hitting the floor making Rhys’ heart beat fast as he placed the mug to be dried and quickly rushed to scrub the rest. “I wanna see how far she takes this little charade of hers.”

Jack entered the kitchen, and Rhys had to really try not to seem flustered. How could Vaughn just blame Fiona? She was their friend, there was no way- Jack’s hand grazed his hip, making Rhys squeak and drop the mug into the sink. The ceramic shattered.

“Gotta be more cautious there, cupcake.” Jack pressed against his back, kissing the nape of his neck. The warmth of Jack’s chapped lips made Rhys weak-kneed. “Coulda cut your hand.”

“Sorry… you scared me.” Rhys bumped back into Jack so that he could get away from the sink. He had to warn Fiona, and hopefully get her side of the story. He trusted her. There is no way she would betray him like that…

“Come on, cupcake. We can deal with the mug later. You heard the nerd, you got a lot of paperwork to do.”

***

She had been so careful. How could they have seen her? Fiona took a deep breath, staring at Rhys. He was searching her face, eyes wide in hope. He didn’t want to believe them.

“I was around the labs because…” Fiona sighed, dropping into her chair. “I’ve always wanted to be working there. They do such cool things… Yet here I am, stuck under Vasquez in coding because they needed a spot filled.”

Rhys frowned. “I’m sorry… If I had known my work would be missed, I…”

“What, would you have told Handsome Jack no?” Fiona shook her head and rolled her shoulders. So far, so good. “It’s fine, Rhys. I just… didn’t think they would accuse me for wanting to be a scientist. I always wanted to be in a cool lab.”

Rhys relaxed, and gave her a big grin. “I knew it. I knew they were wrong.” Rhys jumped out of his seat. “Thank you, Fiona. I know I can trust you.”

Fiona forced her own grin, her teeth clenched. “No problem, Rhys. You can count on me.”


	19. Resurrection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's official, I am almost done! Just one more chapter to go. This is going to be my first chaptered project I actually finished, and I am glad you all were here with me.

Fiona was slowly running out of time. She needed to get that drive, before they resurrected Angel, and quickly. She can’t fail this mission, not with Sasha still with Lilith, and definitely not when she was so close to freedom.

She could easily break into the labs. Her ID that she stole from the girl she replaced allowed her access to most of the rooms not usually accessible to other employees. Plus, with the right outfit, she could sneak in right when they were finishing up and take her easily.

It’s just that she couldn’t, not when Vaughn was the one delivering and picking Angel up everyday.

If she does her job right, hopefully she leaves Vaughn unscathed. The poor boy has gone through enough with her meddling. Despite her instincts, she trusted him and believed that he didn’t deserve all of the bad things happening to him. If Angel was kidnapped on his watch, she doubt Jack would be merciful.

Rhys was also a problem. With Jack and Vaughn nearly outing her, Rhys always had an eye on her. Thankfully, he made it less suspicious for her to be around the labs during the day, but every so often, she would see August peer around the corner before he disappeared. Rhys was keeping an eye on her.

This was going to be her most difficult mission yet. She wasn’t even sure if there was a chance for success at this point.in the game.

She couldn’t afford to lose this. She can’t disappoint Lilith. But how can she betray the trust of her newfound friends?

This was all her fault. She should have stayed away.

***

With both of them finally back to work, Rhys could spend a lot more time watching the lab feeds for Angel. Jack and Rhys would exchange words every once in awhile when Jack left his office, but things were back to as they were.

At least, almost like they were. It almost hurt Rhys’ feelings, the way Jack wasn’t telling him about what Vaughn said. Granted, he overheard the conversation anyway, but shouldn’t Jack have trusted him enough to tell him?

Vaughn was another thing. He would come up for lunch, and he and August would make doe eyes at each other, they would make light conversation, then he would go back to work. He can’t blame Vaughn for not telling him, since he seemed so close to letting it out anyway. Vaughn was always bad at keeping secrets.

Fiona definitely relieved some of that worry from his head. Now, Rhys can watch as the scientists pull the last of Angel’s data and store it. It was insurance- if anything were to happen to the drive, they would still be able to save Angel. 

“Hey Rhysie.” Jack leaned over the back of Rhys, chair, startling him from his thoughts. “Whatcha watchin’?” Rhys didn’t answer, and instead watched the smirk turn on Jack’s face from playful to fatherly.

“I think you’ll like her, Rhys. She’s smart… you remind me of her… my little Angel.” Jack sighed, standing up straight.

“I got a meeting in a minute. You wanna join me?” Rhys closed his laptop, grabbing his bag. Jack chuckled as he waved to August.

“Make sure no one touches our stuff, won’t you princess?” August saluted, then fell back to attention by the door of Jack’s office. Jack wrapped a possessive arm around Rhys’ waist and carted him off. 

“So, what’s this meeting about? I don’t remember one being scheduled.” Jack’s grip grew tight as he lead him into the elevator.

“Don’t you worry about it, pumpkin. Just some loose ends.”

Rhys should have been more concerned, but Jack was rubbing soothing circles on his hipbone, and he was putty in the CEO's hands. Over the few days they were off work, they were learning every bit of each other. The elevator doors slid closed, and began to drop in levels.

With Jack messing with his sensitivity, Rhys decided to stand on the tips of his toes and nibble on Jack’s earlobe. Jack growled, and with one motion, had Rhys pinned to the wall.

“Not now, pumpkin.” Rhys whined, but nodded. Jack slowly backed away, and let Rhys away from his cage. In his blissful trance, he noticed the elevator was rushing past the meeting rooms, and was dropping straight to the labs.

“Oh… so that’s what you wanted.” Jack smiled, canines poking out a bit. Rhys hummed.

“I don’t see why you didn’t just watch the feed if you wanted to see Angel. It could be dangerous to go down without August, or some other guards.” Rhys leaned his head on Jack’s shoulder as the elevator slowed to a stop.

___

 

The elevator concerned her, but when she saw it open and got a peek of Rhys’ arm, Fiona darted down the hallway into what she hoped wasn’t a dead end.

He told Jack. He had to have told Jack she was down here. Dammit! Fiona rounded a corner and hid, glancing over to see Jack and Rhys step off. Jack was glancing down her end of the hallway, while Rhys continued towards the door. Completely oblivious.

With a flick of her wrist, her pistol extended from it’s spring contraption. With the gun in her hand, she felt much more secure. But god knows what heat Jack is packing, and no doubt he has more than one shot to take her down. Fiona will have to be fatal, if it comes down to it, or it could mean her life.

“You go on ahead, pumpkin.” Jack tapped Rhys on the backside, making him jump forward a bit with his face flushed. “I gotta go see to something.”

“Okay. Be careful?” Jack snorted as Rhys stepped up to the override system and scanned his fingerprints. The doors opened for him. Fiona glanced left and right.She was stuck. It served her right for not memorizing the floor plan to Helios.

Jack’s footsteps approached. Fiona loaded her bullet into the chamber and waited, watching Jack stalk towards her.

“So, that bullet meant for Rhys?”

Fiona shrieked, whirling around to see another Jack right behind her. She fired, but Jack jumped out of the way. Her only bullet became lodged in the wall of Helios.

“Shit, how many of you are there!?” Fiona heard another Jack step behind her. She was surrounded.

“Oh, there are a lot of us, sweetheart.” The Jack behind her pulled a gun from his holster. The other one mirrored his movements, almost timidly. “It’s hard to escape from me here.”

“Rhys will never forgive you if you do this.” A bluff. She lost her chance to shoot her way out of this. The original Jack shook his head.

“He’ll get over it. He’s a big boy.” Both Jack’s took aim, and Fiona was backed up against the wall.

“Wait, don’t. I admit it. I was hired to take Angel.” Her heart was hammering in her ribcage. She should have gotten out as soon as possible. Dammit, why didn’t she get out earlier!

“That I knew. Thanks for telling me though, cupcake. Really makes it super easy to kill ya.” Jack fitted his finger over the trigger, ready to shoot before a blur of primary colors knocked into him.

“Son of a- Rhys, what the hell-!” Fiona watched in shock as Rhys and Jack struggled on the ground, Rhys barely managing to knock Jack’s gun away towards Fiona.

“Don’t hurt her!” Rhys yelped as Jack flipped them over, pinning Rhys to the floor.

“Do you not understand what she just said? She was here to take my Angel. She’s not a friend, Rhys. She’s a bandit!”

“She’s  _ my _ friend, Jack. If she really wanted Angel, she would have taken her by now-”

“Never said she was a good bandit!”

Fiona had Jack’s gun trained on the double, who dropped his weapon and had his hands up. She really hoped that Jack wasn’t paying these doubles a lot, when it comes down to it.

Rhys smacked Jack in the chest with his cybernetic arm, causing Jack to wheeze. With the advantage, he flipped them back over and sat on Jack to prevent him from gaining control again.

“Rhysie… pumpkin… listen to me. She’s not-”

“She may not have come to Helios with good intentions, but she has had multiple opportunities to kill us both. I trust her, and that should mean you have to trust her too!”

“I don’t have to trust her at all! Are you forgetting what we are here for, Rhys? People like her don’t deserve to live!”

“They would argue the same thing about us.” Jack growled, gripping Rhys’ shirt collar and pulling him close.

“We are the good guys, Rhys. They’re the bandits. They’re the psychopaths.” Fiona should have snorted then. She should also point the gun to Rhys, do what she came for, get Angel and run.

“Jack, I hate fighting with you. Look at her now. She has a weapon. She could have killed me.” Rhys smiled, so honestly believing in Fiona. It nearly broke her heart.

“Pumpkin… you are too nice.” Rhys slowly eased off of Jack, enough for Jack to flip them over again.

“Stop it, Dad! It’s over.” Jack’s head whipped around and his jaw dropped. Rhys’ smile turned from innocent to cocky. Fiona let the gun fall from her hands. She had failed. 

Angel was resurrected. 


	20. Newfound Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Here it is. The end. I can't believe I actually got to the end. This honestly is bittersweet to me. I have never finished a story before, but here we are. Thank you all for joining me, and thanks to Loki-Dokey for reviewing all my chapters and for telling me to get off my ass and finish this.

“Angel…” Jack slowly got off of Rhys, his eyes not leaving his daughter. “Angel… oh my god.”

Angel sighed, glancing towards Rhys on the ground. “Thank you, for waking me up. I doubted I was going to be here in time for a second.” Rhys scratched the back of his head sheepishly. 

“It’s really you... “ Jack took a slow step forward, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry, baby. I was such a horrible father for you.”

“Yeah, you were kind of an asshole.” Angel shrugged. “But… I think I can forgive you. If Rhys isn’t lying to me, that is.”

Fiona backed away, hoping to escape. She almost forgot about the presence of the clone behind her. His arms went around her, keeping her immobile. “I got her, boss!”

Jack looked back from his daughter, and he felt anger boil in his blood. “Lock her up, Tim. I’ll deal with her later.”

Rhys jumped up. “What? But she didn’t do anything! Jack, you can’t do that!” Jack hushed Rhys, which only served to make him more angry.

“Jack, don’t let your daughter see this side of you again. You’re better than this.”

“Dad, she failed. Send her back to Pandora.” Angel glanced to Fiona, her arms crossed. Despite the fact she was technically voting for a death sentence for her, Fiona almost saw compassion in her eyes.

“In fact, the drive is useless now. Give her that and see how her employer handles it.” Rhys tugged on Jack’s arm, trying to gain his attention back. 

“I’ll think on it, pumpkin. For now, she’ll be monitored so she doesn’t get out. This is for your safety. Both of you.” Rhys and Angel both looked to the ground as Jack nudged them towards the elevators.

“Give me a moment, I’ll be right with you.” Both of them turned back, watching Fiona as they walked away. Once they were gone, Jack turned back to Fiona.

“You’re gonna be in there for a bit, cupcake. Don’t want them seeing what I do to you.”

___

“Welcome home, Angel.” Jack gestured to the grand penthouse with a wave of his arm. Rhys smiled, which put Angel at ease.

When she woke up, she honestly thought that the vault hunters had failed. Then she saw Rhys, and something just seemed familiar.

“Don’t worry Angel,” it was his voice. Where has she heard his voice before? “I’ll protect you.”

Twice already, Rhys has given his life for her. It felt strange, having someone protect her so fiercely. It was almost like she had known him all her life. Her thoughts were all on Rhys that she jumped when her father hugged her.

“It’s good to have you back, Angel… I was... . I was a dumbass.” She felt some tears on her shoulder, looking to Rhys pleadingly. Rhys was smiling, hands covering his mouth. Great, she had two big nerds surrounding her.

“Dad, it’s great to be back and all, but… I just really wanna to take a nap.” Jack sniffled and pulled away, nodding his head.

“Rhys will show you your room, pumpkin. I have to go anyway.” Attention was turned from her, and Angel sighed in relief. Jack pressed a kiss to Rhys’ cheek before walking to the door.

Rhys stared, smiling all dopey and gushy. Angel shook her head and tried to retrace her steps in the penthouse to what used to be her room. Rhys shook out of his stupor and bounced after her.

___

Angel slept like a baby as soon as she got back to her room. Just like the doting father he wanted to be, Rhys pulled the blanket over her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. He could really get used to this.

Hopefully, Jack won’t kill him for what he was going to do.

“I really want to get to know you, Angel.” Rhys pulled his vest on, and slipped his shoes on. “Hopefully, I get that chance.”

He left the apartment, locking it carefully before running towards the elevators.

___

 

She couldn’t know how long she had been left in the prison cell. Possibly a week, possibly two. She couldn’t tell anymore. To be honest, Fiona didn’t even want to know. 

She failed her mission. Killing her would be a mercy, if what Lilith would do to her is a concern. With time to think, she began to regret. She should have killed Rhys. She should have taken Angel. She knew exactly where she was hidden, it just wasn’t fair.

“You have a visitor.” The guard stepped away to reveal Rhys. Normally, she would have been ecstatic.

“Come here to taunt me, are you? Well, I’m not in the mood for it.” Rhys furrowed his brows at Fiona’s attitude. After a minute of staring at each other, Rhys nodded to the guard, who turned the other way. Like he rehearsed it, Rhys scanned his finger over the lock, causing the field to come down.

“What do you think you are doing?” Fiona stood up, her legs weak. When was the last time she stood up? Rhys only held out his hand, with the drive sitting there in plain view.

“Wow, you are an idiot. Why are you helping me?” Fiona leaned on the wall, hoping that she looked somewhat put together. Rhys still remained silent, holding the useless drive. This was her only chance to escape.

She stood on wobbly legs, and tripped her way right to Rhys. Gently, she tucked the drive into her pocket. Like a gentleman, Rhys offered his arm for Fiona to lean on.

“You’re going back to Pandora. I don’t care what Jack says.” With that, Rhys began to walk her towards the hangar bay. Fiona nervously glanced around, and saw most of the security cameras disabled.

“You really thought this through.” Rhys smiled.

“Not just another pretty face.”

Fiona and Rhys made it without much trouble, and there was a ship. Not the one she came in, but pretty close to it. August was leaning against it, looking away from Rhys.

Fiona turned to Rhys. He stopped and let her sit down for a second.

“I still gotta know… why are you helping me?”

Rhys shrugged. “You’re my friend, Fiona. Friends help each other.”

Fiona felt a pang of guilt. She honestly thought of killing Rhys. He has done so much for her, more than she could ever repay.

“Thank you… for everything.” Rhys shook his head.

“It’s the least I can do. Hyperion isn’t built for loners.”

Rhys opened his arms, a giant smile on his face. How could Fiona refuse that face? She held on tight to their hug. For a moment, she felt like she had a brother. Rhys was the one to pull away.

“Well… you have a flight to catch. I can’t be down here much longer, Jack will be suspicious.” He backed away, letting August help Fiona up the stairs into her ship.

“Hey, Rhys.” Rhys blinked up at her, and she offered the kindest smile she had. “Be careful… with Jack. I would hate to see you hurt.”

Rhys blushed, and nodded. “You got nothing to worry about. Bye, Fiona.”

“Goodbye, Rhys.”

Rhys stepped back, watching as the ship thrusted its way out of the bay doors, and headed straight for Pandora.

___

Thankfully, Rhys wasn’t shot for releasing Fiona.The most he got was the silent treatment from Jack. Angel seemed very pleased at what he did.

She also loved meeting the rest of the people who kept her safe. Vaughn and August came over often, slowly introducing her back to the living world. Angel had taken a huge liking to Vaughn, which Rhys was glad for. After all, no one risked their lives more than Vaughn did in the protection of Angel.

“I feel like I know you.” Angel tossed her dice, not caring on what number it landed on. Vaughn considered the number and checked with the sheet of paper in his hands.

“You hit. The ogre takes ten damage. And you might not have remembered me from before, but I did handle your drive.”

“This asshole,” August grumbled, nodding towards Vaughn, “got his ass kidnapped for you.”

Angel blinked, her jaw dropping. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Vaughn blushed and waved his hand, trying to dismiss her concern.

“I was fine. Nothing can get through me.” Vaughn pounded his chest, making Rhys snort from laughter. That’s when Jack appeared behind him with oven mitts and an apron.

“My intel says you cried like a bitch until blondie here saved you.” Vaughn flushed, hiding his face behind the board as the entire group laughed. August wrapped his arm around Vaughn’s shoulder, pulling him into his side. Vaughn buried his face in August’s shoulder. Jack dropped his mitts onto a table and stalked towards Rhys, kissing the top of his head.

Handsome Jack used to say that he didn’t need love. His past had proven that anyone he gave a rat’s ass about usually ended up dead, or betraying him. Promoting the pretty boy from coding to his PA was not love. 

But he loved Rhys now. He loved him more now than he ever thought he ever could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this adventure is over, I'm not done writing. Contact me on my tumblr, bigbwolf.tumblr.com. My askbox is always open for requests or for friendships. Thank you guys so much for reading.


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